The Crack of Dawn
by Vampires Done Right
Summary: Bella's back from her honeymoon and pregnant. The legends and unknown have the Cullen's afraid for Bella's life. Edward is determined for Bella to abort the baby and everyone but Rose is against her. How do you choose between the love of your life and your unborn child? When Jacob pays a surprise visit things only get more complicated and Bella has to choose whats best for the baby
1. Chapter 1

_Starts on chapter nine page 169._

_Bella's pregnancy, despite still developing rapidly, is fairly normal though that doesn't mean she's not at risk either of certain things. Edward is still paranoid and afraid like everyone else that the baby will somehow kill Bella, this is what would happen if Bella got to say what she wanted to say first when Jacob arrives and if Jacob wasn't as much of a controlling ass as Edward and finds a way to respect Bella's choice about keeping the baby. Though he's not completely thrilled with the idea, and is still concerned about Bella's health he doesn't want to risk pushing her away from him when he can just as easily lose her forever again if she goes through with her original plan._

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><p><strong>Chapter one<strong>

Jacob wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived, but there was no sign of life around the big white crypt. Of course they knew he was here.

He cut the engine and listened to the quiet. After a few seconds he could hear tense, angry murmurs from inside and further in the house gentle humming. Someone was home that was for sure. He heard his name and smiled, gleeful to think that he was causing them a little stress.

He took one big gulp of air-it would only be worse inside-and leaped up the porch stairs in one bound.

The door opened before my fist touched the wood, and the doctor stood in the frame, his eyes grave,

"Hello, Jacob," he said, calmer than I would have expected. "How are you?"

He took a deep breath through my mouth. The reek that was pouring through the door was overpowering.

Jacob was disappointed that it was Carlisle who had answered. He would rather have it been Edward, teeth bared, that way he would have no hesitation. Carlisle was just so….._human _or something. Maybe it was the house calls he made last spring when he got busted up. But it made Jacob uncomfortable to look into his face and know that he was planning to kill him if he could.

"I heard Bella made it back alive," he said and step into the doorway, forcing him to step back unless he wanted him be right in his face. "Where is she?"

"Er, Jacob, it's not really the best time." the doctor seemed uncomfortable, but not in the way he expected. "Could we perhaps do this later?"

Was he freaking kidding? Was he seriously asking him to postpone the death match for a more convenient time?  
>And then he heard Bella's voice, cracked and rough, and he couldn't think about anything else.<p>

"Jacob's here?" she asked someone, and he noticed the humming from earlier had ceased. Had that been her?

Her voice was not what he had been expecting, in fact nothing since he arrived was like he expected. He tried to remember the voice of the young vampire's they had fought in the spring. but all he registed was snarling. Maybe those newborns hadn't had the piercing, ringing sound of the older ones, either. Maybe all new vampires sounded hoarse. Or maybe…

I heard footsteps.

"Let me go, Rose, I can still walk. I want to see Jacob." she said to one of them and I heart clumsy footsteps. But then they stopped.

"Don't even think about it, Edward, I've had it about up to hear with you. I don't want to hear another word out of you unless it's something positive." her hoarse voice was practically a growl before her clumsy footsteps became angry thumps.

"Come in, Jacob, I just made lunch." she croaked louder, sounding more cheerful than she had when talking to any of the vamps.

Lunch? Like human lunch, or blood lunch?

"Excuse me," he said to the Doctor and moved around him. It was hard to go against his instincts and allow myself to turn his back on one of them. Not impossible, just hard. If there was even such a thing as a safe vampire, it was the strangely gentle leader.

He would try and stay away from him when the fight started. There was enough of them to kill without including him.

Jacob sidestepped into the house, keeping his back to the wall. His eyes swept the room-it was unfamiliar. The last time he had been here it had been all done up for a party. Everything was bright and pale now.

"What are you doing, Jake." he heard her laugh the same moment he caught her scent. Her warm, clean, human scent. His heart soared. She was standing just a few feet in front of him, having come from around the corner from what he assumed was the kitchen from the scent of food wafting from that area. He barely even noticed the blonde blood sucker-the showy one, Rosalie, hovering strangely protective over her.

He looked at her face first and all he saw was the Bella he still loved, her skin still soft, pale peach, her eyes still that remarkable chocolate brown that twinkled a little as she smiled at him. His heart thudded in a strange broken meter, and he wondered if this was just some twisted dream he was about to wake up from. Then he really saw her.

Despite her smile there were deep circles under her eyes. Her soft, doll like face was also thinner. Her skin seemed to tight over her bones, like her cheekbones were ready to break right through. Her dark hair was messy and pulled over her shoulder, a few strands sticking to her face which had a thin sheen of sweat that coated her skin. She looked so fragile it was scary.

She _was _sick. Very sick. The story Charlie had told Billy was not a story after all. But her smile and eyes didn't give away any pain at all, in fact she looked happier than he had seen her in a long time.

Then he looked down at the rest of her. Bella's body was swollen, her torso ballooning out in a strange and sick way. IT strained against the faded gray sweatshirt that was way too big for her shoulder and arms. The rest of her seemed thinner, like the big bulge had grown out of what it had sucked from her. One of her hands, which held an egg sandwich on a plate, were thin and bony, the bracelet he had given her slipped down almost all the way to the crook of her elbow. The other hand was on her bulging stomach, caressing it.

"Your pregnant." I blurted out, feeling my heart be torn into shreds, though it wasn't the first time. There was no way she could be pregnant though, not this pregnant at least. He had only seen her a month ago, it was impossible.

Bella bit her lip, gave a nervous little nod and continued to smile.

He didn't want to see this, didn't want to think about this, didn't want to imagine him _inside _of her. He didn't want to know that something that he hated so much had taken root in the body of the woman he loved. His stomach heaved, and he couldn't help himself but gag as he forced himself to swallow back the vomit.

"Jacob, are you ok?" she asked me, wobbling over to me as fast as she could, egg sandwich still in hand.

"No, I don't think I ever will be." he admitted, and he could feel the tears begin to sting at his eyes as he tried so hard to keep them back.

"I didn't want to keep it a secret from you too," she said softly and placed her sandwhich down on a small table against the wall. He did his best not to look down, and focused on her eyes as she brought her hands to his face, the relief he felt to find that despite being a little clamy still held the same human warmth as before, was enough to bring the tears he had been keeping down.

"Don't cry, Jake, please don't cry," she begged, her thumbs brushing over my cheeks and wiping my tears away.

"I'm so sorry. And I know I must look horrible, but honestly I'm ok, I just wish there was a better way you could have found out, wish I could have just told you." she said, and he cried harder when he saw through blurry vision that she too was also on the verge of crying.

"You don't look ok, you look hideous and that's coming from a guy who almost always thinks you look great." he tells her honestly, noticing how she blushes. God he loved when she blushed. Awkwardly he brings his hands to her sides, the balls of hands touching the swell of her stomach.

Rosalie hissed at him, but he just glares at her over Bella's shoulder. Why was she sticking so close to Bella, last he knew, Bellas didn't like Rosalie. In fact, she always seemed to be scared of her when she spoke about her.

A part of him thinks he should feel repulsed, that the thing she was carrying inside of her was a monster just like it's father, but he doesn't. Somehow, he remembers it's also a part of he. He feels extremely uncomfortable, but not a hundred percent disgusted by it. Besides skinny and tired, Bella didn't look like she wasn't in too much agony.

"I know, morning sickness sucks, and the I'm up all night from the baby kicking. He's a lively one thats for sure," she laughs, her voice cracking.

"Don't lie to me, Bells, this isn't no normal pregnancy. What's wrong?" I say as she wipes the last of my tears away. "Tell me."

"You're right, it's not a normal pregnancy, it's a lot faster and the symptoms are a lot worse, but otherwise I'm not dying like everyone thinks I am." she said with an aggravated roll of her eyes before glaring around me at Carlisle.

"If the doctor thinks it's killing you then-"

"It's not killing me!" she turns her glare on him, his face still held in her hands. "This is the first time any of them has heard of a vampire impregnating a human, so their all jumping to conclusions and thinking the worst because of how strong the baby seems to be."

"What do you mean strong, how strong?" Jacob glares back at her.

"Sometimes when the baby kicks, I get bruises." she explains.

"What else," he probes, that can't be just it to have them all. Bella sighs and drops her hands from his face and folded them tenderly around her bloated stomach, one above and one below, cradling it.

"Alice can't see my future anymore, or the baby's." she explained. "and Carlisle can't see through the amniotic sac with an ultrasounds and amniocentesis is impossible because the amniotic sac is too hard."

"Ok…" Jacob says slowly, not quite understanding what she was talking about, though he did know what an ultrasound was he wasn't sure about the rest.

"Carlisle think it's because the amniotic sac is made of the same material as their skin. Which would make a C-section very difficult as the only thing that can break through such tough material is their teeth...or yours." she explained with a grimace. "Carlisle doesn't think the amniotic sac will break like a normal one because of how thick it is, so my only option is a C-section."

"Something else is wrong, I can see it in your eyes," he says, and this time it's his turn to cup her face.

"Edward want's me to have an abortion, convinced that the baby is killing me," she looks like she wants to cry and she step closer to Jacob's warmth, her hands going to his sides where they twisted in the fabric of his shirt.

"He's determined to believe that I'm dying because of the legends that he read about this sort of thing, and if I'm dying than he's dying too."

Jacob smirks when she rolls her eyes.

"And you're not?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I don't feel like I am. Other than being a little sore, throwing up, lacking sleep and looking like crap, I'm ok." she grins.

"Is that why he look's like he's been set on fire?" he asked, looking over her head at the six vampires staring at us with anxious yellow eyes.

Jacob had seen Edward angry before, and he'd seen him arrogant. and once he had even seen him in pain. But what he was seeing now was beyond agony. Edward's eyes were half crazed and he didn't even look up from the floor to glare at him. His hands were rigid claws at his side.

"Edward's being a drama queen," she told him, not even looking back at her leach husband.

"He hates it," she whispered. "He hasn't said it out loud, but he doesn't have to. He wants our baby dead, he thinks it's a monster."

"Is it?" he has to ask, not too convinced that something conceived by a vampire could be anything but a monster like it's father.

"Jacob, please." she shook her head. She had to hear enough from Edward, she didn't want to hear it from Jacob too.

"You can't possibly think I'm ok with this, Bells." he chokes. "It was hard enough to watch you marry him, and now you're having his kid. It's too much,"

"I'm sorry, Jake, I'm always so cruel to you," she says, her week little hands gripping at his ribs as tightly as she could. She was cruel, and selfish, because she didn't want to let him go.

"What will happen after the baby's born?" he needed to hear her say it. "Will they turn you?"

"That was my plan," she nodded.

He didn't want this to be real, so he tried to focus on anything besides the facts faced in front of him. He pressed my forehead to her, and focused on her eyes. He had missed her eyes. He could stare into them forever and be happy. He wanted to forget, forget the bulge of her stomach, forget the pain, forget that she was married to another man and just hold onto her as long as he could before he was forced to let her go again. It was torture, but it was also heaven. And then her stomach growled.

"Sorry, you were about to eat before I got here," he said and reluctantly pulled away, staring at the now cold egg sandwich.

"That's ok," she shrugged, but Jacob didn't miss the crease between her eyebrows are the way her grip pulled at his shirt before she let go.

"Will you stay?" she asked. After all he had gotten the answer he had come searching for. She was still human. "Please,"

"Only if you'll make me something to eat too, I'm starving." he grinned, ignoring the vampires as he focused on her, and just for a moment he wanted to pretend that Bella was his wife, that she was pregnant with their child and were in their home. The fantasy was so vivid. Bella was glowing and healthy in his mind, love in her eyes as she stared at Jacob. In the corner Edward tensed, his thoughts finally bringing the vampire out of his depression for just a second to glare at Jacob, pain still in his eyes. But there was also something else, something similar to regret.

"Sure, no problem." she grinned and picked her plate back up and proceeded to show him the way to the kitchen. Rosalie followed protectively behind.

"Can we have some privacy, Rose?" Bella stopped and turned around to ask.

"Over my pile of ashes," Rosalie hissed, glaring at Jacob.

"I can arrange that," Jacob smirked, taking the challenge.

"Leave her alone, Jake." she sighed.

"Jake's not going to hurt us, Rose." she smiled. "He's not the one I'm scared of."

It didn't go unnoticed by Jacob how Edward and Carlisle both flinched. Rosalie eyed the two of them warily over her shoulder.

"Please, Rose." finally she gave in with a huff.

"Fine," she managed to get out through clenched teeth.

"Thank you."

Leaving the vampires in the other room, Jacob and Bella continued into the kitchen where Bella then proceeded to take a few bites of her own sandwich before leaving it to make Jacob something. But Jacob refused to let her do everything either. He helped her take out what he wanted from the fridge, surprised by how full it was, and took out the condiments and a knife from one of the drawers. Without even telling her she stacked the sandwich just like he liked it. Done she placed his sandwich on the table and he helped her to sit down, letting her take his hand as he placed a hand on the small of her back and helped lower her into the chair.

"Should you be moving this much?" he asked her after helping her, taking his own seat next to her.

"Rosalie's has had me doing nothing but sitting and laying on the couch all day, it's good to walk around once in awhile and stretch my legs." she told him, stretching her legs under the table for effesence, her socked feet touching Jacob's.

"Yea, well knowing you it might be better to keep you sitting. You're so clumsy you might trip face first and squash that big belly of yours." he laughed, only joking and took a huge bite of his sandwich. He moaned as he chewed.

"You know me too well, Bells. This sandwich is great." he praised her.

"You're a pretty simple guy, Jake, it's not too hard to remember what you like to eat." she laughed before finishing off her own sandwich.

"Want another one?" Jacob asked, noticing the way she stared hungrily at her now empty plate.

"I used the last of the egg's to make that. All I've been craving his eggs since I got pregnant." she tells him.

"Egg's, really?" he said, giving her a quirking smile around a mouthful of sandwich.

She nodded, looking almost embarrassed.

"That and peanut butter and chicken," she says.

"Talk about a weird combination." he laughs, and damn did Bella miss that laugh.

"I've missed you, Jake." she tells him and reaches her hand for his. He meets her half way, twining his fingers between her, loving the way that despite how skinny she's become her hands still fit his perfectly.

"I've missed you too." he says softly, any thought about food long gone as they just hold hands.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Jake." she takes in a shuddering breath, that awkward little sigh she always did.

"I want to believe that Edward will change his mind once the baby is born, once he see's him and holds him for the first time. But I'm scared that he won't, that even after the baby is born he'll still hate it because he hates himself. How can I raise my baby around a father who won't even be able to look at him?"

She knows she's being cruel again by confiding in him like this, but other than Rosalie she doesn't have anyone else to really talk to. She didn't know what to do. She was so scared that Edward and Carlisle would somehow find a way past Rosalie and cut her baby out of her before he was ready. She loved Edward, but she loved her baby more. What occurred was by all means a miracle. She had never thought she would have children, and thrown away all possibilities when she chose Edward. This was her first child. Her miracle. Edward had offered to do in vitro after she had an abortion if she wanted to have a baby so badly, as long as it was a normal human baby that wouldn't hurt her. But other than it's strength none of them was sure if her baby would be more vampire than human, but they all jumped to the conclusion that it was some murderous monster growing inside of her.

"I didn't even think you wanted kids, even when we were kids you showed no interest in being a mom." he sighed, remembering how his sisters would place how with each other and their dolls while Bella played outside, making mudpies with him.

"I didn't think I did either. But the moment I realized I was pregnant, it was like gravity shifted and all I cared about was my baby, I was so happy and excited. After all we all thought it was impossible," she explained, this far off look in her eyes.

"The feeling only intensified when I felt him move inside of me for the first time," she looked down at her swollen stomach and gently caressed it.

"What are you thinking, Bella?" he asked and gripped her hand tighter, letting his warmth seep into her chilled skin. "Seriously."

"I know this seems like a scary thing, but it's not." she tells him, looking up so she can look him in the eyes.

"It's like a miracle or something." she tells him, awkward as ever. Jacob scoffs.

"You keep calling it a boy. How are you so sure if Carlisle can't see it with an ultrasound?" he can't help but ask.

"It's just a guess." she shrugged. "When I picture him I see a boy."

"Sorry I didn't bring some blue balloons." he rolls his eyes.

"Please don't act like that, Jake, I don't need the attitude right now. I know you're not thrilled," she sighed, feeling exhausted and drained from dealing with everyone else trying to convince her to abort her baby.

"In fact, I'm surprised you haven't tried to convince me the same as everyone else." she rolls her shoulders, feeling achy.

"I'm waiting to get all the facts before I decide what speech to give you." he tells her honestly.

"I also know how god damn stubborn you are. Even if I did find out the damage is worst then your telling me, that it really is killing you, it wouldn't matter if I asked you to get rid of it, would it?"

She shook her head, no.

"Thought so," he sighed and let go of her hand so that he could put his head in it.

"You've always been in complete control of your body the decision you make with it. Be it cutting yourself to distract a vampire, choosing to become a vampire, or even have a baby, it's always been your choice." it was one of the things he loved about her, her sense of free will over herself.

"I can't tell you what to do, because you won't listen, so I don't know what you want me to say." he sounds as exhausted and frustrated as she looks.

Silence.

"If I had chosen to be with you, and I got pregnant, how would you have reacted?" she asked, him, both hands on her stomach now as she stared at her empty plate.

"I would have freaked out. I might not look it anymore, but I'm a teenager and a baby would be just one more responsibility I wouldn't be ready to handle." he tells her honestly.

"But I also think I would be super excited to be having a baby with the woman I loved, even if neither one of us were ready for one." he follows with.

"Edward went into shock, and then he the first thing he said to me was, and I quote 'We're going to get that _thing _out of you'. He called our baby a _thing, _Jake. I was heart broken. I thought he would be excited."

"I love him, he's my husband and I chose to spend forever with him," she sounds more like she's trying to convince herself of something than she was him.

"People get divorced all the time, know one would think twice about it when you married so young. They would probably expect it." he scoffed.

"God that was stupid of me, I didn't even want to get married." she confessed, leaning back in her chair. "It was the compromise for Edward to agree to have se-"  
>She coughed, blushing as she realized what exactly she was telling him.<p>

"That's why you married him, because he wouldn't have sex with you before marriage. Are you fucking serious!?" Jacob didn't know whether to laugh or shake her.

"I knew he was old fashioned, but this is the twenty-first century." he shook his head, almost not believing what he was hearing. Though he rather Edward had never had sex with her. Before or after marriage. He was lucky he hadn't killed her. Instead he knocked her up.

Damn.

"You can still live, Bells, you don't have to be turned after you have the baby." maybe for her baby's sake, she would change her mind about being a vampire.

"If they turn you, the treaty will be broken. Sam won't just come after you and the rest of them, he'll try to kill your baby too, he won't show mercy." he needed her to know the risk, the risk that she had been ignoring since the first time she had told him that she planned to be turned.

"You have to think this through, Bella," he took a deep breath in from his mouth, his entire body tensing.

"I don't want to leave him, I love him." she tells him, once again sounding like she was convincing herself rather than him.

"Than you're going to have to deal with the consequences if he doesn't change his mind about the baby."

**TBC**

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><p><em>Tell me what you think, honestly. I know Jacob is probably, majorly out of character but I didn't intend for that I swear. If you liked the first chapter please favorite, follow or review this story so that I know.<em>

_Thank you guys for reading._

_Love, _

_VDR_


	2. Chapter 2

_A lot of this chapter between Jacob and the pack was directly taken from the book, but there have been some very important changes in the dialogue, so you shouldn't skip it._

_Also thank you everyone who reviewed, followed and Favorited this story after the first chapter. Because of you guys I put a rush on finishing this chapter for you guys and hence why I am updating it at 5 in the morning. Good thing I don't have work until 1:30._

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

After the kitchen they had moved into the other room where Bella curled up on the couch beside Jacob,where he proceeded to tell her about Paul imprinting on Rachel, and how the guy wouldn't stop coming over and eating all of their food. Poor Billy was going to starve if it kept up. Bella said the same thing he had. Why don't they just go to Paul's place?

Jacob prominently answered that Paul was an ass who liked to throw in his face that he and his sister were together, since clearly Jacob disapproved.

"So, when have you and Blondie become BFF's?" Jacob asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Rosalie understands what I want." she shrugs.

"Sure she just doesn't want to cradle rob you?" he glares at Rosalie who's been pacing the doorway since they moved rooms.

"Jacob!" Bella gives Rosalie an apologetic glance, but Jacob recognizes the fear that's there as well.

"What?" he shrugs.

"Oh yea, I forgot she's you in-law now, sorry."

"That was an awful thing to say, Jacob." she tells him, her hoarse voice disapproving.

"I said I was sorry." he shrugged again but he didn't even look at Bella, still glaring at Blondie who was glaring right back at him.

He changed the subject and told her about Charlie, and how he and Sue's relationship was doing. Bella was glad there was someone else that could take care of Charlie and keep him company when she wasn't there. Charlie was spending more and more time at the rez rather than at home and there was talk he might move in with Sue. But Jacob wasn't too sure.

"How's Seth and Leah handling the relationship?" she asks, grinning as Jacob rubs her feet, her ankles starting to swell a little.

"Seth just wants to see his mom happy, and when she's with Charlie she is, so he fine with it." Jacob shrugs as he moves his ministrations up from her feet to her calves.

"Ugh, that feels so good. Your so hot, Jake," she says rolling her head back on the arm of the couch with a blissful look.

"Bella, you're a married woman!" Jacob pretended to be scandalized, clutching at his heart and everything.

"I meant your hands and you know it," she slapped his arm, but he caught the way she was blushing. The shade of red was so beautiful beneath her skin, she was so beautiful he thought even in the state she was in now. It wasn't hard at all to pretend they were somewhere else, that Bella was his wife, carrying his baby and not that monsters.

"Though you are kinda cute," she said, looking at him with a tilt of her head as she pursed her lips.

"Seriously, only kinda cute?" he said, clearly appalled.

"How did I go from sorta beautiful to kinda cute, I mean look at me!" he said, and gestured to himself. "I am all man, baby, I am smokin'!"

Bell laughed, a loud, throw back your head type of laugh. Her belly bounced as she laughed, her hands cradling it as she tried not to jostle the baby around too much.  
>The sound of Bella's laugh was addicting, and Jacob had a problem. He very well knew that every second he spent with her was only going to add to the pain he would have to suffer later. Like a junkie with a limited supply, the day of reckoning would come for him and the more hits he took now, the harder it would be when his supply ran out. But he couldn't help himself, so he took as much as he could now before he would never be able to get anymore again.<p>

"Someones gotten overly confident," she raised her brows at him. "What happened to that sweet kid who tried to flirt with me when I first moved here?"

"Uh-uh, you were the one who tried to flirt with me so I would tell you about the legends of the Cold Ones, not the other way around. I was cool about it, sly," Bella laughed even harder.

"You were a dork," she pokes him. "and so was I."

"Nah, you were smooth as hell. Had me wrapped around your little finger from the start. All you had to ever do was smile at me and I was at your mercy," he grinned.

"I mean look at me, I'm rubbing your feet." he said, pinching her toes as he worked the arch of her feet. "I'm whipped."

"Like a dog," she added and made a whipping motion with her hand, even going so far as to make the sound. They both laughed, loud and honest.

He noticed Bella shiver, but before he could say anything she was already reaching for the blanket hung across the back of the couch. As she reached up her sweater lifted up, showing him the mottled skin of her stomach, the bruises dark and all over.

"How strong did you say it was?" he asked, staring at the exposed skin. When she saw she pulled her sweater down and tossed the blanket over her, leaving her feet exposed for him to continue to rub.

"It's looks worse than it is. It's my pale skin that makes them look so dark, I've always bruised easily." she shrugged.

She moaned as he rubbed over a tender spot on her ankle, easing the soreness there as he rubbed the small muscles their into relaxation.

"You're going to make a great husband someday," she smiled, but Jacob saw something in her eyes. It was there for only a second before she laid her head back, but he was pretty damn sure he saw jealousy in her brown eyes. He took his hands away from her feet.

"I could have been _your _great husband," he said so low she hadn't even heard him and stood.

"Where are you going?" she hurried to sit up, wincing as she felt the baby kick, probably startled from the sudden movement.

"What is it, what's wrong?" He asked, getting on his knees on the floor next to her.

"Nothing, he just kicked is all," she smiled.

"Do you want to feel? Nobody but Rose ever wants to feel him."

He doesn't answer her and before he can reject she's already grabbing his hand and placing it on her stomach, moving it so it was in the best spot.

"Give him a second," and that's as long as it takes, a second and Jacob can feel something move underneath his palm. It wasn't as strong as he thought it would be, it felt like a gentle flutter. At least to him.

"Does that hurt?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Nope," she popped the 'P'. "actually he was really gentle just then, like he was trying to hold himself back."

Jacob felt it kick again, a little harder this time and he watched Bella closely for any flicker of pain across her face.

"And that?"

"Just a hard pressure, but not painful." she assured him. Still he kept his hand on her stomach as he watched her face. She was staring down at her stomach, her hand over his as she moved it to feel every time the baby moved a little. Her entire face glowed as she smiled excitedly.

"Even when I sleep he never moves this much, it must mean he like you." she looks at him then, her eyes enchanting him as always as she reaches out and touches his cheek.

"I doubt it, he's probably upset I'm even here. Me being a werewolf and he a-"

"But what if he's not? Besides his strength we don't know if he has any other vampire like traits?" said Bella. "since we can't do any of the proper tests we can't know for sure. But I know he has a beating heart."

"What?" he looks at her shocked, he hadn't even thought about that.

"Carlisle can hear his heart thought he amniotic sac with his stethoscope." she informs him.

"Rosalie likes to listen to his heart, and will lay with me with her ear to my belly." she tells him, blushing.

"I'm sure you could do the same," she tells him.

Jacob doesn't really think about it, and doesn't even realize what he's doing until he feels the warmth radiating through Bella's sweater as he lays his cheek again her stomach, listening. Why he does Bella is stroking his head, running her fingers through the dark locks of his hair.

_Bu-bump, bu-bump, bu-bump, bu-bump. _

It's quick, quicker than a humans heart should beat, but he can hear it crystal clear. There really was a heartbeat. It wasn't some undead monster, it was really alive. Then he felt a strong kick to his jaw, and Bella jerked and hissed. Startled and creeped out, Jacob jerked away remembering this wasn't a normal baby despite the sound of it's heart. He wasn't sure what it was, just like the rest of them. But he did know it was alive at least.

"It's not normal, Bella." the strength in which he felt under his palm was not normal, the way it moved like it was aware of what was happening outside of the womb felt somehow wrong.

"I know he's not normal, but he's not a monster either." she told him, her usual warm eyes cold.

"I just wish I could have a sonogram so you can all see that he's just a little baby," she shakes her head, an almost sad gesture as she curls her arms around her stomach again.

"He's not just a part of Edward, Jake, he's a part of me." she's starting to get angry, her hands which were one flat against her stomach curling into fist. "How can everyone say they love me but not love my baby too,"

"It's not that simple, Bella," Jacob sighed.

"Why, why isn't it that simple. Please, tell me, Jake, because I am so sick of everyone staring at me like I'm about to drop dead or glaring at my stomach like the spawn of satan is about to rip through me!" she shouted at him, going as far as to grab one of the couch pillows and throw it at him. She missed of course.

"How can you be so sure it wont!" he shouted back. "What if you get worse, what if really does start to kill you. It's father is a leech, they suck life out of everything they come in contact with, what if _it's_ no different."

"Don't call him an _it. _He's a baby, my baby!" she shouted, her voice loud enough to bring Rosalie in the room.

"It's time for you to leave, dog, you're upsetting her." Rosalie hissed at him, moving to stand between him and Bella.

"Rose,"

"No, Bella, stress isn't good for the baby. He needs to leave." she said, glancing over her shoulder at Bella's stomach.  
>Bella scoffed.<p>

"Like I'm not already stressed because of everyone" she rolled her eyes, something Jacob noticed she was doing a lot.

Rosalie scowled.

"It's fine, I was leaving any way." he said.

"Jake, no, please don't go." Bella pleaded, reaching her thin hand out to him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you,"

"That's not why I'm going. I don't belong here. I've got to get back." he shook his head.

"Why did you come today?" she asked, still reaching limply.

"I just wanted to see if you were alive or not. I didn't believe you were sick like Charlie said." he couldn't tell from her face alone if she bought it or not.

"Liar." she glared.

"Fine, I came here to see if you had come back as vampire so that I could kill all of the Cullen's and probably die in the process."

"Jacob!" she gasped and Rosalie hissed, the rest of the vampires starting to move into the room eyeing him warily.

"But your still alive, for now, so the treaty still holds." he shrugged, as if he hadn't just admitted his plans of murder.

"Will you come back again?" she asked, her hand finally dropping. "next time without the motive of murder."

"You really are a cruel woman," he sighed. "But for some unknown reason I still love you."

"I won't hang around and torture myself watching you get ready to give birth to another mans kid and become one of them."

She flinched. "You're right, you're right. You _should _go, it's not fair to you."

Jacob headed for the door.

"Bye," she whispered behind him. "Love you, Jake."

He almost went back. Almost turned around and fell down on his knees again. But he knew that he had to quit Bella, quit her cold turkey, before she killed him.

"I Love you, too." he mumbled, needing to say it one more time so she knew what she was doing to him. Let her live with her choices.

He pushed past all of the vampires, only to stop and glare at Edward, smirking even. She was killing him, he could see it in his eyes. And if Edward couldn't come to love the baby, Bella would have no choice but to leave him unless she wanted to raise her baby with a man who would never even be able to tolerate it. She didn't have to choose either of them(not that there was a choice to be made anymore) but if she chose to live and raise her baby than he would be just as happy as if she had chosen him. Besides, it was fun watching the bastard suffer. After all, it took two to tango, and if he didn't want the baby then tough shit. This was one thing about Bella that was out of his control.

Left alone with Rosalie, all Bella wants is to be left alone as she puts her face in her hands, trying not to cry. Why was she such an awful person? All she ever did was hurt the people she loved, over and over again, never learning. She wondered if their was something wrong with her in the head to be this mean to people. She didn't _want _to hurt, but that's what she did anyway. He had been so understanding about everything, and she had been so relieved he hadn't demanded her to get rid of her baby like the rest of them. He had made it clear he wasn't happy about it, but so far he seemed to have respected her wishes despite their fight.

He was more mature than he had been the last she saw him, more level headed in a way. She wondered what had happened since the time between the wedding and now that might have changed him. But at least she got to see his smile. She loved his smile. She remembered how well they had fit against hers when they had kissed on the mountain, how warm they were, how soft as they moved against hers. He had held nothing back, taking her breath away and leaving her with weak knees.

She felt ashamed for thinking about that kiss, for parts of her warmed and made her hold her legs tight together and squirm. She couldn't help wonder how different sex would be with Jacob in comparison to the few times she had had sex with Edward during their honeymoon.  
>Realizing how horrible her thoughts were she wanted to slap herself. What was wrong with her? She might be fighting with Edward right now but she still loved him and he was her husband.<p>

She blamed her out of whack hormones caused by the pregnancy.

There was no other way to explain what she was thinking or feeling, she thinks as she runs her hands through her greasy hair. She needed a bath. A nice, calming bath. Or maybe a cold shower.

"Rosalie, could you help me upstairs, I want to take a bath. I feel dirty."

XxXxX

As he left the house he ignored his bike standing all alone. It wouldn't be fast enough for him now. He needed to run, he needed to phase. He stripped down, not caring who might be watching, and started running. He phased mid stride, blurring as his skin tore and open and his bones reformed until he was on four legs running through the forest.

The pack was waiting for him. Of course they were.

_Jacob, Jake, _eight voices chorused in relief.

_Come home _now, the Alpha voice ordered. Sam was furious, but so was he.

He felt Paul fade out, and he knew that Billy and Rachel were waiting to hear what had happened to me. Paul was too anxious to give them the good news that Jacob wasn't vampire chow to listen to the whole story.

He didn't have to tell the pack he was on his way-they could see the forest blurring past him as he sprinted for home. He also didn't have to tell them that he was half-past crazy, either. The sickness in his head was obvious.

They saw everything-Bella's bloated stomach, her raspy voice: _Sometimes when the baby kicks, I get bruises_; the burning man in Edwards face. _Edward want's me to have an abortion, convinced that the baby is killing me _; Rosalie hovering protectively over Bella's shoulder. But most of all, the feeling of the baby moving beneath his palm.

Their shock was just a silent shout in Jacob's head. Wordless.

He was halfway home before anyone recovered.

Then they all started running to meet him. It was almost dark and the clouds covered the sunset completely. He had risked darting across the freeway and made it without being seen, luckily.

They met up about ten miles out of Lap Push territory, in a clearing left by the loggers. It was out of the way, wedged between two spurs of the mountain, where no one would see them. Paul found them when he did, so the pack was complete.

The babble in Jacob's head was total chaos. Everyone shouting at once.

Sam's hackles were sticking straight up, and he was growling in an unbroken stream as he paced back and forth around the top of the ring. Paul and Jared moved like shadows behind him, their ears flat against the side of their heads. The entire circle was agitated, on their feet and snarling in low bursts.

At first the anger was undefined, and Jacob though he was really in for it. He was too messed up to care about that. They could do whatever they wanted to him for circumventing orders.

Then the unfocused confusion of thoughts began to move together.

_How can this be? What does it mean? What will it be?_

_Not safe. Not right. Dangerous/_

_Unatural. Monstrous. An abomination._

_We can't allow it._

The pack was pacing in synchronization now, thinking in synchronization, all but Jacob and one other. He sat beside whichever brother it was, too dazed to look over with either his eyes or his mind and see who was next to him, while the pack circled around them.

_The treaty doesn't cover this._

_This puts everyone in danger._

He tried to understand the spiraling voices, tried to follow the curling pathway of thoughts to where they lead. None of it was making any sense to him. The pictures in the center of their thoughts were _my _pictures-the worst of them. Bella's sunken cheeks, her skinny hands and arms, the bruises on her stomach, Edwards tortured face.

_They fear it, too._

_But they won't do anything about it.  
>Protecting Bella Swan.<em>

_We can't let that influence us._

_The safety of our families, of everyone here, is more important than one human._

_If they won't kill it, we have to._

_Protect the tribe._

_Protect our families._

_We have to kill it before it's too late._

Another of his memories, Bella's words again. _it's not a normal pregnancy, it's a lot faster and the symptoms are a lot worse._

He struggled to focus, to pick out individual voices.

_No time to waste, _Jared thought.

_It will mean a fight, _Embry cautioned. _A bad one._

_We're ready, _Paul insisted.

_We'll need surprise on our side, _Sam thought.

_If we catch them divided, we can take them down separately. It will increase our chances of victory, _Jared thought, starting to officially strategize now.

None of them were even trying to see the good memory's, the things that Bella had told him, that she wasn't as bad as she looked. The sound of the baby's heartbeat, quick but way she laughed and smiled so happily with him. They didn't care.

Jacob shook his head, rising slowly to his feet. He felt unsteady there-like the circling wolves were making him dizzy. The wolf beside Jacob stood as well. His shoulders were pushed against his, propping Jacob up.

_Wait, _he thought.

The circling paused for one beat before they were pacing again.

_There's little time, _Sam said.

_But-what are you thinking? You wouldn't attack them for breaking the treaty this afternoon. Now you're planning an ambush, when the treaty is still intact.?  
>This is not something our treaty anticipated, <em>Sam said. _This is a danger to every human in the area._

_How, Sam? What do you think it's going to do, crawl around town and start eating people? He doesn't crave blood, he craves eggs and chicken with peanut butter! _He steps forward towards Sam.

_We don't know what type of creature the Cullen's have bred, but we know that it's strong and fast growing. And it will be too young to follow a treaty._

_That's why it has a mother to teach it. _he pictured Bella, smiling and excited in the kitchen, her arms cradling her stomach. Remember how she told him how she pictured the baby.

_Not if it kills her. _Sam thought, pulling Bella's bruised stomach from my mind.

_We don't know-_I tried to interrupt.

_We _don't _know, _he agreed. _And we can't take chances with the unknown in this case. The Cullen's don't even know what it is. We can only allow the Cullen's to exist if we can trust them not to cause harm. This….thing cannot be trusted._

_He. _Jacob corrected him. Remembering how mad Bella had gotten about calling him a 'It' or 'Thing'.

_What? _Sam snarled.

_Bella thinks it's a boy. _ He explains. _And the Cullens don't like it anymore than we do._

Sam pulled up Rosalie's face, her protective posture and snarling, her hisses and glares, from his mind and put it on display for everyone.

_Some are ready to fight for it, no matter what it is._

_It's just a baby, Sam, it has a heartbeat, I heard it._

_Not for long,_ Leah whispered.

_Jake, buddy, this is a big problem, _Quil said. _We can't ignore it._

_You're making it into something bigger than it is, _he argued. _The only one the baby is hurting is Bella._

_Again by her own choice, _said Sam. _But this time her choice affects us all._

_I don't think so. Besides the rapid growth and the strength, her pregnancy is a normal one with morning sickness, weird cravings and swollen ankles. _

_We can't take the chance. We won't allow a blood drinker to hunt on her lands._

_Jacob, said it didn't crave blood, just eggs and chicken with peanut butter. My mom said she used to crave ice cream with ketchup when she was pregnant with me, _the wolf who was still supporting Jacob said. It was Seth. Of course it would be Seth.

_This is crazy, _he said. _Just this afternoon you were afraid to put the pack in danger._

_This afternoon I didn't know our families were at risk._

_I can't believe this! How exactly do you think your going to kill the baby without killing Bella?_

There were no words, but the silence said all that he needed to hear.

_We are protectors! Not the murderers of pregnant woman. We don't rip baby's from their mothers wombs! We protect mothers and their children! _Jacob howled.

_Bella is still human! If you're so afraid that it will be a killer, a monster, than doesn't our protection apply to her? _

_She looks like she's dying anyway, _Leah thought, pulling an image of Bella's haggard appearance. _We'll just shorten the process. We can break her neck, it will be quick._

That did it. Jacob leaped away from Seth and toward his sister, his teeth bared. He was about to catch her left hind leg when he felt Sam's teeth cut into my flank, dragging me back.

Jacob howled in pain and fury and turned on him.

_Stop! _he ordered in the double timbre of the Alpha.

Jacob's legs seemed to buckle under him. He jerked to a halt, only managing to keep on his feet by sheer willpower.

Sam turned his gaze from Jacob to Leah. _You will not be cruel to him, _he commanded her. _Bella's sacrifice if a heavy price, and we will _all _recognize that. It is against everything we stand for to take a human life. Making an exception to that code is a bleak thing. We will _all _mourn for what we do tonight._

_Tonight? _Seth repeats, shocked. _Sam-I don't think I can do this. Edward and Bella have always been so nice to me, and it's just a baby-_

_We can't afford your tolerance for the Cullen's now. You _will _do as you are told, Seth._

Seth's front knees folded, and his head fell forward under the weight of the Alpha's command.

Sam paced in a tight circle around the two of them.

_We need the whole pack for this. Jacob, you are the strongest fighter. You _will _fight with us tonight. I understand this is hard for you, so you will concentrate on their fighters-Emmett and Jasper Cullen. You don't have to be involved with the….other part. Quil and Embry will fight with you._

Jacob's knees trembled; he struggled to hold himself upright while the voice of the Alpha lashed at his will.

_Paul, Jared and I will take on Edward and Rosalie. I think, from the information Jacob has brought us, they will be the one's guarding Bella. Carlisle and Alice will also be close, possibly Esme. Brady, Colin, Seth and Leah will concentrate on them. Whoever has a clear line on-_they all heard him mentally stutter over Bella's name-_the creature will take it. Destroying the creature is our first priority._

The pack, all except Jacob and Seth, rumbled in nervous agreement. The tension had everyones fur standing on end. The pacing was quicker, and the sound of the paws against the brackish floor was sharper, toenails tearing into the soil.

Only Seth and Jacob were still, the eye in the center of a storm of bared teeth and flattened ears. Seth's nose was almost touching the ground, bowed under Sam's commands. Jacob felt his pain at the coming disloyalty. For him this was a betrayal-during that one day alliance, fighting beside Edward Cullen, Seth had truly become the vampires friend as well as Bella's. But he had no choice but to obey, not matter how much it hurt him.

And what choice did Jacob have? When the Alpha spoke the pack followed. He would be forced to murder the woman he loved and her child.

Sam had never pushed his authority this far before. Jacob knew Sam honestly hated to see Seth kneeling before him like a slave at the foot of his master. He wouldn't force this if he didn't believe that he had no other choice. He couldn't lie to us when we were linked mind to mind like this. He really believed it was our duty to destroy Bella and the thing she carried. He really believe we had no time to waste. He believed it enough to die for it.

Jacob saw that he would face Edward himself; Edwards ability to read our thoughts made him the greatest threat in Sam's mind. Sam would not let someone else take on that danger.

He saw Jasper as the second-greatest opponent, which is why he'd given him to me. He knew that I had the best chance of any of the pack to win the fight. He'd left the easiest targets to the young wolves and Leah. Little Alice was no danger without her future vision to guide her, and we knew from out time of the alliance that Esme was not a fighter. Carlisle would be more of a challenge , but his hatred for violence would hinder him.

He felt sicker than Seth as he watched Sam plan it out, trying to work the angles to give each member of the pack the best chance of survival.  
>Everything was inside out. This afternoon, Jacob had been chomping at the bit to attack them. But things had changed. He had been blinded by his own hate for the Cullens and hadn't allowed himself to look at it carefully, because he knew what he would see if he did.<p>

Carlisle Cullen. Looking at him without hate clouding his eyes, he couldn't deny killing him was murder. He was good. Good as any human that protected. Maybe even better. The others too, he supposed, but he didn't feel as strongly about them. He didn't know them as well. It was Carlisle who would hate fighting back, even to save his own life. That's why we would be able to kill him-because he wouldn't want _us_; his enemies to die.

This was wrong. This was disgustingly wrong.

He might not have imprinted on Bella like everyone else had, but she was still his soul-mate. He knew that now. The reason he had never imprinted on her was because he already had when he was a human, from the moment they were reunited that first day she came back home to Forks. It was why even when he didn't imprint of her in the meadow that day, his confidence that she was meant to be with me never faltered, not even after she married Edward. He knew, even as a vampire, somehow they would find each other again. He would always love her too much to ever completely let her go, and she would always love him in a deep part of herself.

And it wasn't just because killing Bella would be like killing himself, like suicide, it was more than just that. It was the flutter I had felt beneath my palm, the quick little heartbeat I had heard. I could feel the tears wet the fur of my muzzle.

_Pull it together, Jacob, _Sam ordered. _The tribe comes first. _

_I was wrong today, Sam._

_Your reasons were wrong then. But now we have a duty to fulfill._

He braced himself. _No._

Sam snarled and stopped pacing infront of him. He stared into Jacob's eyes and a deep growl lips between his teeth.

_Yes, _the Alpha decreed, his double voice blistering with the heat of authority. _There are no loopholes tonight. You, Jacob, are going to fight the Cullens with us. You, with Quil and Embry, will take care of Jasper and Emmett. You are obligated to protect the tribe. That is why you exist. You will perform this obligation._

Jacob's shoulders hunched as the edict crushed him. His legs collapsed, and he was on his belly under him.  
>No member of the pack could refuse the Alpha.<p>

_No. _he repeated.

**TBC**

* * *

><p><em>Oh my god please tell me that this chapter was worth staying up until the crack of dawn to finish, please tell me it's good and that I didn't waste the time I could have been sleeping to write it. I am so freaking exhausted, and if you guys could just give me a little confidence boost that you like this story, that it's worth the all-nighters I will be so freaking happy. <em>

_But seriously if you haven't already please follow or click the favorite button, every time you do I get an email alert which I can see on my phone, and you can't believe how excited I get when I hear that little ding and check my email to see that someone favorited or reviewed my story._

_Good night and good morning,_

_VDR_


	3. Chapter 3

_Again, a lot of this chapter was taken directly from the books but big changes have been made to the dialogue that affects the rest, so you don't want to skip anything even if it's mirroring the book it's not exactly the same._

_Thank you again to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited during the last chapter. You guys are great, and thanks to your support I was able to get his chapter __done in no time._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

No one could dispute the Alpha's decision-except for _Jacob._

He hadn't earned anything. But there were things that had been born in him, things that he had left unclaimed for so long.

Jacob never wanted to lead the pack. He didn't want to even do it now. He didn't want the responsibility for all of their fates resting on his shoulders. Sam was better that he would ever be.

But Sam was wrong tonight.

And he had not been born to kneel to him.

The bonds fell off his body the second that Jacob at long last accepted his birthright. He could feel it gathering inside of him, both a freedom and also a strange and hollow power. Hollow because an Alpha's power came from is pack, and he had no pack. For a brief moment, loneliness overwhelmed him.

He had no pack.

But he was straight and strong as he walked to where Sam stood, planning with Paul and Jared. He turned at the sound of Jacob's advance, and his black eyes narrowed.

_No. _he told him again.

He heard it right away, heard the choice he had made in the sound of the Alpha voice in his thoughts.

Sam jumped back a half with a shocked yelp.

_Jacob? What have you done?_

_I won't follow you, Sam. Not for something so wrong. _

Sam stared at him, stunned. _You would….you would choose your enemies over your family?_

_Bella has been my family since I was three years old. And the Cullen's, they aren't-_he shook my head, clearing it-_they aren't our enemies, they never have been. Until I really thought about destroying them, thought it through, I didn't see that._

_This isn't about them, _Sam snarled at him. _This is about Bella. She has never been the one for you, she has never chosen you, but you continue to destroy your life for her!_

They were harsh words, but true words.

_Emily never chose you, Kim never chose Jared, Claire never chose Quil, Rachel never chose Paul. The imprint chose for them. None of you had known each other when you imprinted, but I already knew Bella. I have never needed to imprint, because my soul, my wolf, before I even phased knew who I was meant to be with._

_You're right in that she has never chosen me, but just like you, I would be anything she needed me to be. A protector, a brother, a friend or a lover. That is the power and sacrifice of the imprint. _he told them, not just Sam, but all of them.

_I may choose to destroy myself over her, but you are choosing to destroy the entire back over her, Sam. No matter how many of them survive tonight, they will always have murder on their hands. _he said, looking right into Sam's eyes

_We have to protect our families! _he protested.

_And what do you think your family, what Emily, would think if she knew you wanted to murder an innocent woman and her unborn child when Emily herself is in the early stages of her own pregnancy?_

_Bella is nothing like Emily, and neither is the monster inside her anything like my own child! _Sam snarled, chomping at the air.

_You don't know that! _Jacob said. _But I know what you've decided, Sam. Only you don't decide for me, not anymore._

_Jacob, you can't turn your back on your tribe._

He heard the double echo of his Alpha command, but it was weightless this time. It no longer applied to him. Sam clenched his jaw, trying to _force _me to respond to his words.

Jacob stared into his furious eyes. _I am the grandson of Ephraim Black. I am the grandson of a chief! I wasn't born to follow you, or anyone else!_

_Is this it, then, Jacob _Black_? _His hackles rose and his muzzle pulled back from his teeth. Paul and Jared snarled and bristled at his sides. _Even if you can defeat me, the pack will never follow you!_

Now it was Jacob's turn to jerk back, a whine escaping his throat.

_Defeat you? I'm not going to fight you, Sam_

_Then what's your plan. I'm not stepping aside so that you can protect the vampire spawn at the tribe's expense._

_I'm not telling you to step aside._

_If you order them to follow you-_

_I will never take anyone's free will away from them._

Sam's tail whipped back and forth as he recoiled from the judgment in Jacob's words. Then he took a step forward so that the two of them were toe to toe, his exposed teeth inches away from Jacob's. Jacob hadn't noticed till this moment that he had grown taller than Sam.

_There cannot be more than one Alpha. The pack has chosen me. Will you rip us apart tonight? Will you turn on your brothers? Or will you end this insanity and join us again? _Every word was layered with command, but it couldn't touch him. Alpha blood ran undiluted in Jacob's veins.

He could see why there was never more than one Alpha male in the pack. His body responded to the challenge. He could feel the instinct to defend my claim rising in him. The primitive core of his wolf-self tensed for the battle of supremacy.

Jacob focused all of his energy to control that reaction. He would not fall into a pointless, destructive fight with Sam. He was his brother still, even though he was rejecting him.

_There is only one Alpha for this pack. I'm not contesting that. I am just choosing to go my own way._

_Do you belong to a _coven _now, Jacob?_

Jacob flinched.

_I don't know, Sam. But I do know this-_

Sam shrunk back as he felt the weight of the Alpha in Jacob's tone. It affected him more than his had touched Jacob. Because Jacob had been _born _to lead him.

_I _will _stand between you and the Cullens. I won't just watch while the pack kills innocent people. The pack is better than that. Lead them in the right direction, Sam._

He turned his back on him, and a chorus of howls tor into the air around them.

Digging his nails into the earth, he raced away from the uproar he had caused. He didn't have much time. At least Leah was the only one with a prayer of outrunning him, and he had a head start.

The howling faded with the distance, and he took comfort as the sound continued to rip apart the quiet night. They weren't after him yet.

He had to warn the Cullens before the pack could get it together and stop him. If the Cullen's were prepared, it might give Sam reason to rethink before it was too late. He sprinted toward the white house he still hated, and the woman inside of it that he still loved, leaving his home behind. Home wasn't always a place, it could also be a person. His physical home didn't belong to him anymore. He had turned his back on it. But at least there was still Bella.

Today had begun like any other day. Jacob had made it home from patrol with the rainy sunrise, had breakfast with Billy and Rachel, bad TV, and bickering with Paul...How did it change so completely, turn all surreal? How did everything get messed up and twisted so that he was here now, all alone, an unwilling Alpha, cut off from his brothers, choosing vampires over them.

He blamed Bella. Her and her damn smiles and laughs, and big brown eyes. He blamed the flutter he had felt beneath his hand and the tiny fast heartbeat he had heard from inside her. When he got back to her, she was going to be the one rubbing his feet.

The sound he had been fearing interrupted his thoughts-it was the soft impact of big paws against the ground, chasing after him. He threw himself forward, rocketing through the black forest. He just had to get close enough so that Edward could hear the warning in his head. Leah wouldn't be able to stop him alone.

And then he caught the mood of the thoughts behind him. Not anger, but enthusiasm. Not chasing….but following. He broke his stride, staggered two steps before it evened out again.

_Wait up. My legs aren't as long as yours._

_SETH! What do you think you're DOING? GO HOME!_

The brat didn't answer, but Jacob could feel his excitement as he kept right on after him. He could see through his eyes as he could see through Jacobs. The night scene was bleak for me-full of despair. For Seth, it was hopeful.

Jacob hadn't even realized he was slowing down, but suddenly Seth was on his flank, running in position beside him.

_I am not joking, Seth! This is no place for you. Get out of here._

The gangly tan wolf snorted. _I've got your back, Jacob. I think you're right. And I'm not going to stand behind Sam when-_

_Yes you are! I know you don't want to and I'm sorry, I don't want you to dirty your hands like that. But you are going to get your furry butt back to La Push and do what Sam tells you to do._

_No!_

_Go, Seth!_

_Is that an _order, _Jacob?_

His question brought him up short. He skidded to a halt.

_I'm not ordering anyone to do anything. I'm just telling you what you already know._

Seth plopped down on his haunches beside him. _I'll tell you what I know-I know that it's awfully quiet. Haven't you noticed?_

Jacob blinked. His tail swished nervously as he realized what he was thinking underneath the words. It wasn't quiet in one sense. Howls still filled the air, far away in the west.

_They haven't phased back, _Seth said.

He knew that. The pack would be on red alert now. They would be using the mind link to see all sides clearly. But he couldn't hear what they were thinking. He could only hear Seth.

_Looks to me like seperate packs aren't linked, huh. _He got up and started to trot towards the east. _We should be moving right along before Sam…._

He was right about that part. He was right about both parts. Jacob didn't want to argue and fell into a run again. Not pushing himself quite as hard. Seth stayed on his heels, holding the Second's traditional place on his right flank.

_I can run somewhere else, _he thought, his nose dipping a little. _I didn't follow you because I was after a promotion._

_Run wherever you want. Makes no difference to me._

There was no sound of pursuit, but they both stepped it up a little. Jacob was worried now. If he couldn't tap into the packs mind, it was going to make this more difficult. He have no more advance warning of attack than the Cullens.

_We'll run patrols, _Seth suggested.

_And what do we do if the pack challenges us? _His eyes tightened. _Attack our brothers? Your sister?_

_No, we would sound the alarm and fall back._

_Good answer. But then what? I don't think…._

_I know, _he agreed. Less confident now. _I don't think I can fight them, either. But they won't be any happier with the idea of attacking us than we are with attacking them. That might be enough to stop them right there._

_Stop being so..._it took Jacob a minute to decide on the right word. _Optimistic. It's getting on my nerves._

_No problem. You want me to be all doom and gloom, or just shut up?_

_Just shut up._

_Can do._

_Really? Doesn't seem like it._

Seth was finally quiet.

They made it across the road and moved through the forest that ringed the Cullens house. Could Edward hear them yet, Jacob wondered.

_Maybe we should be thinking something like 'We come in peace'._

_Go for it._

_Edward? _he called the name tentatively. _Edward, you there? Okay, now I feel kinda stupid._

_You sound kinda stupid, too._

_Think he can hear us?_

They were less than a mile out now. _I think so. Hey, Edward. If you can hear me-circle the wagons, bloodsucker. You've got a problem._

We've _got a problem, _Seth corrected.

They broke through the trees into the big lawn. The house was dark, but not empty. Edward stood on the porch between Emmett and Jasper, waiting for them. They were snow white in the pale light of the moon.

"Jacob? Seth? What's going on?"

Jacob slowed and then paced back a few steps. The smell was so sharp through his nose that it felt like it was honestly burning me. Seth whined quietly, hesitating, and then he fell back behind Jacob.

To answer Edward question, Jacob let his mind run over the confrontation with Sam, moving through it backwards. Seth thought with him, filling in the gaps, showing the scene from another angle. They stopped when they got to the part about the 'abomination', because Edward hissed furiously and leaped off the porch.

"They want to kill Bella?" He snarled flatly.

Emmett and Jasper who had not heard the first part of the conversation, took his inflectionless question for a statement. They were right next to Edward in a flash, teeth exposed as they moved on us.

_Hey, now, _Seth thought, backing away.

"Em, Jazz-not _them_! The others. The pack is coming." Emmett and Jasper rocked back on their heels. Emmett turned to Edward while Jasper kept his eyes on the wolves.

"What's _their _problem?" Emmett demanded.

"The same one as mine," Edward hissed. "But they have their own plans to handle it. Get the others. Call Carlisle! He and Esme have to get back here now."

Jacob whined uneasily. They _were _separated.

"They aren't far," Edward said in the same dead voice as before.

_I'm going to go take a look, _Seth said. _Run the western perimeter._

"Will you be in danger, Seth?" Edward asked.

Seth and Jacob exchanged a glance.

_Don't think so, _they thought together. And then Jacob added, _But maybe I should go. Just in case…_

_They'll be less likely to challenge me, _Seth pointed out. _I'm just a kid to them._

_You're just a kid to me, kid._

_I'm outta here. You need to coordinate with the Cullens._

He wheeled and darted into the darkness. Jacob wasn't going to order Seth around, so he let him go.

Edward and Jacob stood facing each other. He could hear Emmett muttering into his phone. Jasper was watching the place where Seth had vanished into the woods. Alice appeared on the porch then, after staring at me with anxious eyes for a long moment, she flitted to Jasper's side. He guessed that Rosalie was inside with Bella. Still guarding her. But now she didn't only have to protect her from her own family, she also had to to protect her from Jacob's family too.

That was the worst part. At one time, Bella could have been a part of the packs circle. She would have hung out with the other imprints, talked with Billy and gotten to know and reconnect with Rachel. The pack would have protected her and respected her, just like they did with all the imprints. They would have all been a family, they could have been happy.

"I should have left her with you." Edward finally said, his voice still flat. Alice glanced at him with a furrowed and shocked brow. "She could have had everything with you without having to sacrifice anything. "

_Oh, now you realize this? _Jacob snorted. _A little too late, don't you think?_

Edward sighed.

"This isn't the first time I've owed you my gratitude, Jacob," Edward whispered. "I would have never asked for this from you."

_You would never have to. I will always protect Bella, always choose her, not matter how much it hurts me._

"Yes, there are no lines you wouldn't cross for her. I'm realizing that more and more." he said.

_Is she still avoiding you like the plague?_

"Yes, she won't listen to reason," he said, the burning man coming back.

_From my perspective there's nothing to listen too. The baby isn't killing her, and it's not hurting her. I can't remember ever seeing her happier than she is now. Do you really want to take that away?_

"I can make her happy, like I used to if only she would let us get rid of it. I don't want to lose her. That _thing _will kill her!" he hissed, clearly surprised that Jacob wasn't taking his side.

_That _thing _is the only reason she's still alive and still human. You wanted that for her once. _Jacob reminded him.

"Not at the expense of her health, not when it can kill her. If you read the legends that we've found, you would understand." his tone fell flat, his face an expression of agony.

"Jacob, would you mind switching forms?" Alice asked. "I want to know what's going on."

Jacob shook his head at the same time Edward answered her.

"He needs to stay linked to Seth."

"Well, then would _you _be so kind to tell me what's happening?"

He explained in clipped, emotionless sentences. "The pack thinks Bella has become a problem. They foresee potential danger from the… from what's she carrying. They it's their duty to remove the danger. Jacob and Seth disbanded from the pack to warn us. The rest are planning to attack tonight."

Alice hissed, leaning away from Jacob. Emmett and Jasper exchanged a glance, and the their eyes ranged across the tree's.

_Nobody's out here, _Seth reported. _All's quiet on the western front._

_They may go around._

_I'll make a loop._

"Carlisle and Esme are on their way," Emmett said. "Twenty minutes, tops."

"We should take up a defensive position," Jasper said.

Edward nodded. "Let's get inside."

_I'll run perimeter with Seth. If I get too far for you to hear my thoughts, listen for my howl._

"I will."

They backed into the house, eyes flickering everywhere. Before they were inside, Jacob turned and ran toward the west.

_I'm still not finding much, _Seth told him.

_I'll take half of the circle. Move fast-we don't want them to have a chance to sneak past us._

Seth lurched forward in a sudden burst of speed. They ran in silence, and the minutes passed. Jacob listened to the noises around him, double-checking his judgment.

He wondered if Bella was asleep or if the baby was keeping her up like she had said it did. Why the hell had he defended the baby to Sam, even corrected him when he had called it a 'Thing'. He would have done anything in the past to keep Bella from being with Edward, the man who apparently made her happy because of what he was and now he was protecting the vampires child. He tried to justify to himself, assure himself that he was doing the right thing. The baby had a heart beat, besides the bruises it wasn't hurting Bella, he have even heard that normal baby's have broke their mothers ribs. Most of all, it was a part of Bella, and he loved Bella, all of her. To the tips of her toes to the top of her head, he loved her more than anything. And she was right, if he loved her, then it was only natural that he love this part of her too.

_Oh, man, Jake, maybe you really did imprint on her. It feels that way to me every time you think about her. _Seth said.

_Shut up and focus!_

_Hey-something is coming up fast! _Seth warned him after fifteen minutes.

_On my way!_

_Hold your position-I don't think it's the pack. It sounds different._

_Seth-_

He caught the approaching scent on the breeze, and Jacob read it in his mind.

_Vampire. Bet it's Carlisle._

_Seth, fall back. It might be someone else._

_No, it's them. I recognize the scent. Hold up, I'm going to phase so I can explain it to them._

_Seth, I don't think-_

But he was gone.

_Damn it._

Anxiously, Jacob raced along the western border. Wouldn't it be just perfect if he couldn't take care of Seth for one freaking night? What if something happened to him on his watch? Leah would shred Jacob into kibble.

At least the kid kept it short. It wasn't two minutes later when Jacob felt him back in his head again.

_Yep, it was Carlisle and Esme. Boy, were they surprised to see me! They're probably inside now. Carlisle said thanks._

_He's a good guy._

_Yeah. That's one of the reasons why we're right about this. _

_Hope so._

_Why're you so down, Jake? I'll bet Sam won't bring the pack tonight. He's not going to launch a suicide mission….But this isn't about Sam is it?_

Jacob made the turn at the end of his patrol. He caught Seth's scent where he had turned last. They weren't leaving any gaps**.**

_Edward really thinks Bella will die? _Seth whispered.

_Yes. But I also don't know what he knows. I need to find out about these legends he was talking about. _

_Poor Edward, he must be going crazy._

_Literally. _

_Do you think Bella will let me feel the baby too? _he asked.

_I don't know, I'm sure she'll let you if you ask. She practically ripped my hand off trying to get me to do so._

_Sweet! _and then he was howling in excitement.

_Shut up, shut up, shut up you idiot! They're going to think the pack is coming._

_Oops! _He cut off mid-howl. _Sorry, but I've never felt a baby kick before. It's going to be so cool._

Shaking his head, Jacob wheeled and started loping in toward the house.

_Can I go in? I want to see Bella. _he said.

_No. Maybe tomorrow, now take the whole circle for me._

Seth seethed and Jacob ignored him.

_False alarm, false alarm, _Jacob thought as he ran closer in. _Sorry. Seth is young. He forgets things. No one's attacking. False alarm._

When Jacob got back to the house, he could see Edward staring out of a dark window. He ran in, wanting to be sure he got the message.

_There's nothing out there. Got that?_

Edward nodded once.

This would be a lot easier if the communication wasn't one way. Then again, he was kinda glad he wasn't in _his _head.

Edward looked over his shoulder before he waved him away without looking in his direction again and then moved out of view.

_What's going on?_

Like he was going to get an answer.

Jacob sat very still and listened. With these ears he could almost hear Seth's soft footfalls, miles out into the forest. It was easy to hear every sound inside the dark house.

"It was a false alarm." Edward said in that dead voice, just repeating what Jacob had told him. "Seth was excited about something else, and he forgot we were listening for a signal. He's very young."

"Nice to know we have toddlers guarding the fort," a deeper voice grumbled. Emmett.

"They've done us a great service tonight, Emmett," Carlisle said. "At a great personal sacrifice."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just jealous. Wish I was out there." you could hear the pout in his voice.

"Seth doesn't think Sam will attack now," Edward said mechanically. "Not now that we're forewarned, and there lacking two members of the pack."

"What does Jacob think?" Carlisle asked.

"He's not as optimistic."

No one said anything. There was just soft breathing, different from their lower fake breathing, more natural. He could hear her mumble in her sleep, sighing here and there.

Jacob paced in front of the house. Each pass bringing him a little closer. He wanted to see Bella. The dark windows were like a TV set running in some dull waiting room-it was impossible to keep his eyes off of them for long.

A few more minutes, a few more passes, and his fur was brushing the side of the porch as he paced. He could see up through the windows-see the top of the walls and the ceiling, the unlit chandelier that hung there. He was tall enough that all he would have to do was stretch his neck a little...maybe one paw up on the edge of the porch…

He couldn't help himself and peeked into the big, open front room. Bella was curled up on the couch, the same blanket as earlier and a few others thrown over to her to keep her warm as she shivered. She mumbled something again, but nothing you could actually call a word. Then she muttered something in her sleep that everyone could make out crystal clear.

"Edward, please, don't hurt him." she was having a nightmare. She flinched and whimpered, her arms even in her sleep going to protect her stomach. Edwards body stiffened-his back to Jacob, but his expression must have been something to see. Rosalie cooed and smoothed her hand across Bella's forehead, tucking some hair back out of her face.

Edward turned away from them and he was the burning man again. His eyes met Jacob's for one moment before he dropped back to all fours.

He ran back into the forest, running to join Seth, but not before he heard Bella mumble his name. A happy little sigh, that gave Jacob shivers. He tried not to think of the satisfying feeling it gave him, or the hope it was helping to blood, he didn't want Edward to hear him. If they were going to work together, they couldn't be fighting over Bella again….not yet, at least. Jacob was never very good at giving up on what he loved.

**TBC**

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><p><em>Well, not much Bella in this chapter.<br>Now, I know I might regret this later, but what do you guys think of my theory about Jacob imprinting on Bella when he was human. I thought it made sense to me, and I need the theory to make this story work as well. Obviously this should also have hinted that if Jacob is already imprinted to Bella, that he's not going to imprint on anyone else. _

_Also I have big, and maybe a little obvious plans for Seth._

_Looking forward to your reviews, favorites and follows._

_Love,_

_VDR_


	4. Chapter 4

_Shorter than the last chapter, sorry, but hope it's just as good. This chapter we have a lot more Bella. Again the beginning of this chapter has a lot of things taken directly out of the book, but stay with me and it will start to diverge into my own original stuff._

_Again, thank you guys for favoriting, reviewing and following after the last chapter, hope you do the same for this one if you haven't already. _

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

The sun had risen behind the clouds an hour ago and the forest was gray now instead of black. Seth had curled up and passed out around one, and Jacob had woken him at dawn to trade off. Even after running all night, Jacob was having a hard time making his brain shut up long enough to fall asleep, but Seth's rhythmic run was helping. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. The dull paw thuds against the damp earth were like some sort of lullaby. They were already wearing a trail into the ground.

Seth's thoughts were empty, just a blur of green and gray as the woods flew past him. It was restful. It helped to fill Jacob's head with what he saw rather than letting his own images take center stage. When he had managed to sleep he had dreamed of Bella. No big surprise there.

Suddenly Seth's piercing howl broke the early morning quiet.

Jacob lurched up from the ground, his front legs pulling toward a sprint before his hind legs were off the ground. He raced toward the place where Seth had frozen, listening with him to the tread of paws running in their direction.

_Morning, boys._

A shocked whine broke through Seth's teeth and they both snarled as they read deeper into the new thoughts.

_Go away, Leah! _Seth groaned.

He stopped when he got to Seth, head thrown back, ready to howl again-this time to complain.

_Right. Ugh! Ugh! _He whimpered and pawed at the ground, scratching deep furrows in the dirt.

Leah trotted into view, her small gray body weaving through the underbrush.

_Stop whining, Seth, you're such a baby._

Jacob growled at her, his ears flattening against his skull. She skipped back a step automatically.

_What do you think you're doing, Leah?_

She huffed a heavy sigh. _It's pretty obvious, isn't it. I'm joining your crappy little renegade pack. The vampire's guard dogs. _

She barked out a low, sarcastic laugh.

_No, your not. Turn around before I rip out one of your hamstrings._

_Like you could catch me. _She grinned and coiled her body for launch, _Wanna race, O fearless leader?_

Jacob took a deep breath, filling his lungs until his sides bulged. Then, when he was sure he wasn't going to howl, he exhaled in a gust.

_Seth, go let the Cullens know that it's just your stupid sister. _He thought the words as harshly as possible. _I'll deal with this._

_On it! _Seth was only too happy to leave. He vanished towards the house, the thought of getting to see Bella rolling around in his head.

Leah whined and leaned after him, the fur on her shoulders rising. _You're just going to let him run off to the vampires _alone_?_

_I'm pretty sure he'd rather they took him out than spend another minute with you._

_Shut up, Jacob. Oops, I'm sorry. I meant, shut up, most high Alpha._

_Why the hell are you here?_

_You think I'm just going to sit at home while my little brother volunteers to be a vampires chew toy?_

_Seth doesn't want or need your protection. In fact, no one wants you here._

_Ooh, ouch, that's gonna leave a huge mark. Ha! _she barked. _Tell me who does want be around, and I'm outta here._

_So this isn't about Seth at all, is it?_

_Of course it is. I'm just pointing out that being unwanted is not a new thing to me. Not really a motivating factor, if you know what I mean._

Jacob gritted his teeth and tried to get his head straight.

_Did Sam send you?_

_If I was here on Sam's errand, you wouldn't be able to hear me. My allegiance is no longer with him._

Jacob listened carefully to the thoughts mixed in with the words. If this was a diversion or a ploy, he had to be alert enough to see through it. But there was nothing. Her declaration was nothing but the truth.

_You're loyal to me now? _He asked with a thick amount of sarcasm. _Uh huh. Right._

_My choices are limited. I'm working with the options that I have. Trust me, I am not enjoying this any more than you are._

That wasn't true. There was an edgy kind of excitement in her mind. She was unhappy about this, but she was also riding on some weird high from it too. He searched her mind, trying to understand.

She bristled, resenting the intrusion. He usually tried to tune Leah out so he had never tried to make sense of her before.

_Yesterday you practically offered to kill Bella yourself. What was it that you said? Oh, yea. 'we can snap her neck, it will be quick'. _

They were interrupted by Seth, thinking his explanation at Edward. Leah whined anxiously. Edwards face, framed in the same window as last night, showed no reaction to the news. It was a blank face, dead of all emotion. Yet despite his appearance, they could hear the sound of humming and the smell of food cooking. Bella was up, the humming was from her. He could hear Rosalie plead with Bella to let one of them cook, to sit down and rest. Bella was having none of it.

"I'm fine, Rose, I can stand on my own two feet without help once in awhile. Plus, you always burn everything." they heard her say from the kitchen. Her voice was still hoarse, but she was lively as ever. If not more so.

Jacob wondered if she knew they were here.

_She sounds ok, so why does Edward look so bad? _Seth muttered to himself. The vampire showed no reaction to the thought either and disappeared into the house. Seth pivoted and headed back out to Jacob and Leah. Leah relaxed a little.

_What's going on? _Leah asked. _Catch me up to speed._

_There's no point. You're not staying._

_Actually, Mr. Alpha, I am. Because since apparently I have to belong to someone, and don't think I haven't tried breaking off on my own. You know how well that works out. So I choose you._

_Leah, you don't even like me and I don't like you._

_Thanks, Captain obvious. That doesn't matter to me. I'm staying with Seth._

_You don't even like vampires and you've made it clear you don't like Bella._

_You don't like vampires either. _she wisely didn't mention Bella.

_But I am committed to this alliance. You aren't._

_I'll keep my distance from them. I can run patrols out here, just like Seth._

_And I'm supposed to trust you with that?_

She stretched her neck, trying her best to be as tall as Jacob as she leaned up on her toes and stared him in the eyes. _I will not betray my pack._

He wanted to throw his head back and howl, like Seth had done before. _This isn't your pack! This is even a pack. This is just me, going off on my own! What is with you Clearwaters? Why can't you leave me alone?_

Seth came up behind them and whined. Jacob had offended him. Just great.

_I've been helpful, haven't I, Jake?_

_You haven't been a complete nuisance, kid. But you and Leah are a package deal, so if the only way to get rid of her is for you to go home….can you blame me?_

_Ugh, Leah, you ruin everything!_

_Yea, I know, _She told him, and the thought was loaded with the heaviness of her own despair.

Jacob felt the pain in three little words, and it was more than he would have guessed. He didn't want to feel that. He didn't want to feel bad for her. Sure, the pack was rough on her, but she brought it on herself with the bitterness that tainted every thought she had and made being in her head a total nightmare.

Seth was feeling guilty too.

_Jake...You're not gonna really send me away, are you? Leah's not so bad, really. I mean, with her here, we can push the perimeter out farther. And this puts Sam down to seven. There's no way he;s going to mount an attack that outnumbered. It's probably a good thing-_

_You know I don't want to lead a pack, Seth._

_So don't lead us. _Leah offered.

Jacob snorted. _Sounds perfect to me. Run along home now._

_Jake, _Seth thought. _I belong here. I _do _like vampires. The Cullens anyway, and Bella. They're people to me, and I'm going to protect them, cause' that's what we're supposed to do._

_Maybe you belong, kid, but your sister sure as hell doesn't. And she's going to go wherever you are-_

He stopped short, because he saw something when he said that in Leah's mind. Something she had been trying very hard not to think.

Leah wasn't going anywhere.

_Thought this was about Seth, _he thought sourly.

She flinched, caught red handed. _Of course I'm here for Seth._

_And to get away from Sam. _

Her jaw clenched. _I don't have to explain myself to you. I just have to do what I'm told. I belong to your pack, Jacob. The end._

Jacob paced away from her, growling.

Crap. He was never going to get rid of her. As much as she disliked him, as much as she loathed the Cullens and Bella, as happy as she'd be to kill them all, as much as it pissed her off to have to protect them instead-none of it was anything compared to what she felt being free of Sam.

Leah didn't like Jacob, so it wasn't much of a chore having him wish she would disappear. But she loved Sam. Still. And having him wish she would disappear was more pain than she was willing to live with, now that she had a choice. She would have taken any other option. Even if it meant moving in with the Cullens as their lap dog.

_I don't know if I would go that far, _She snorted. _I'm sure I'd give killing myself a few good tries first._

_Look, Leah…_

_No, you look, Jacob. Stop arguing with me, because it's not going to do any good. I'll stay out of your way, okay? I'll do anything you want. Except go back to Sam's pack and be the pathetic ex-girlfriend he can't get away from. _

She sat on her haunches and stared straight into his eyes. _If you want me to leave, your going to have to _make _me._

Jacob snarled for a long, angry minute. He was beginning to feel some sympathy for Sam, despite what he had done to him and to Seth. No wonder he was always ordering the pack around. How else would you ever get anything done?

_Seth, are you going to get mad at me if I kill your sister?_

He pretended to think about it for a long minute. _Well...yeah, probably._

Jacob sighed. Damn it.

_Okay, Ms. Do-anything-I-want. Why don't you make yourself useful by telling us what you know? What happened after we left last night?_

_Lots of howling. But you probably heard that part. It was so loud that it took us a while to figure out we couldn't hear you anymore. Sam was..._She was at a lost of words to describe how Sam had reacted, but they could see it in their heads. Both Seth and Jacob cringed.

_After that, it was clear pretty quick that we were going to have to rethink things. Sam was planning to talk to the Elders first thing this morning. We were supposed to meet up and figure out a game plan. I could tell he wasn't going to mount another attack right away. It would have been suicide at this point, with you and Seth AWOL and the bloodsuckers warned. I'm not sure what they'll do, but I wouldn't be wandering the forest alone if I was a leech. It's open season on vamps now._

_So, you decided to skin the meeting this morning? _He asked.

_When we split for patrols last night, I asked permission to go home, to tell my mom what had happened-_

_Crap! You told Mom? Did you forget she's dating Charlie? Did you tell her that Bella's pregnant? _Seth growled.

_Seth, hold off on the sibling stuff for a sec. Go on, Leah._

_So once I was human, I took a minute to think things through. Well, actually, I took all night. I bet the others all thought I fell asleep. But the whole two-separate-packs, two-separate-pack-minds thing gave me a lot to sift through. In the end I weighed Seth's safety and the, er, other benefits against the idea of turning traitor and sniffing vampire stink for who knows how long. You know what I decided. I left a note for my mom. I expect we'll hear it when Sam finds out…_

Leah cocked an ear to the west.

_Yeah, I expect we will. _He agreed.

_So that's everything. What do we do now? _she asked.

She and Seth both looked at Jacob expectantly. This was the exact kind of thing he didn't want to do.

_I guess we just keep an eye out for now. That's all we really can do. You should also probably take a nap, Leah._

_You've had as much sleep as I have. _she countered.

_Thought you were going to do what you were told?_

_Right. That's gonna get old real fast, _she grumbled, and then she yawned. _Well, whatever. I don't care._

_I'll run the border, Jake. I'm not tired at all. _Seth was so glad he hadn't forced them to go him, he was all but prancing with excitement.

_Sure, sure. I'm going to go check with the Cullens and maybe get some breakfast for us. Bella's cooking._

Seth took off along the new path worn into the damp earth. Leah looked after him thoughtfully before turning to Jacob.

_Quick question, Jake. _She said, and he gave his bust annoyed whine.

_What?_

_If you're so sure that you imprinted on Bella when you were human, why did you never just tell her. I know she asked you once if you had, I saw it in your mind. Why did you tell her you didn't?_

Jacob looked towards the house, the smell of bacon and ham thick in the air.

_Because I was overly confident. I thought she would choose me and I wanted her to do it of her own free will. _

_But she didn't choose you, I've never hear of that happening before. _she pointed out.

_We also never heard of a girl phasing before, but it happened. It's not impossible for a imprint to refuse an imprint. She may not have chosen me to be her lover, but she did choose me to be her friend._

Leah didn't say anything more before she found a tree to go curl under.

Jacob changed into his other form when he was a few yards from the lawn. He hadn't planned spending much time human there. But he hadn't been planning to have Leah in his head, either. He pulled on his ragged shorts and started across the lawn.

The door opened before he got to the steps, and he was surprised to see Bella, rather than Edward or even Carlisle. Rosalie, as always was hovering behind her. Bella was wearing a dark green knit sweater, that despite it's incredible length, looked like it fit her much better than what she was wearing yesterday. She was also wearing some very comfortable skinny jeans, the fabric soft looking. They were either fashionable maternity pants or they were altered by one of the Cullens to fit her. Her hair was braided over her shoulder. It looked shinier,healthier than it had before. The sleep she must have gotten last night must have helped.

"Perfect timing, I just finished cooking breakfast. I hope I cooked enough for Seth." she said, waddling like a penguin out the door. She stumbled and he raced to catch her, but before he could Rosalie had already caught her, one arm on her arm the other wrapped just above Bella's swollen stomach.

"You have to be more careful, Bella, you could hurt the baby!" her voice was even, but her eyes were scolding.

"Sorry, Rose. Thanks for catching me." she smiled, trying not to flinch at how cold Rosalie was being.

"Are you going to come in, Jake, or we can eat outside if the smell is too much. I could use the fresh air," she smiled.

"They told you?" He asked as he walked up to the porch.

She frowned and nodded.

"I tried to convince them that it wasn't what they thought, I did, Bells, I swear. I defended _him._" He needed for her to know, needed her to believe him.

"You did?" she asked, and he could see the way her eyes went glassy, threatening to cry as she reached for him.

"I did, I promise." he said, getting close enough for her too touch. He could see it so clear how much it meant to her to know that he had defended not only her, but her child as well. A child that everyone but her and Rosalie wanted destroyed. "You said it yourself, it's a part of you. And If you love someone you should love every piece of them."

"Oh, Jacob." she whispered and then her arms were around him, her stomach pressed against the valley of his abs.

Surprised, Jacob didn't wrap his arms around her right away, but after a second to adjust to the feeling of having her in his arms again he put his arms around her. She seemed even tinnier than she had been before when he danced with her at her wedding. He felt the baby move against his stomach, but as odd as the feeling was he was revolted by it, remembering the sound of the baby's heart. It's soft kicks against his hand. Most of all he remembered how happy Bella had been when he had, the way she had held his hand and moved it with the baby's every move, how she had carded her fingers through his hair as he listened to it's heart beat.

In those moments she had treated him as if he were her husband and not Edward, trusting him and confiding in him in ways she couldn't with Edward. Somehow the sound of the little monster heart had triggered his paternal instinct to protect. Who else would, what other male figure would even attempt to care for it when Edward wouldn't. All it had was Bella...and Rosalie, but he didn't trust her. He still wasn't sure that she wasn't just after the kid.

That wasn't saying there weren't things about the baby he still didn't need to overcome, questions that he needed to be answered about it, but for Bella's sake he would try to care about it as much as he could care for anothers mans unborn child. At least it was more than Edward was attempting. If this was what Bella needed from him, he would give it to her. It was going to be really weird and awkward, but he would give it a was his imprint after all, that he's always been sure of. But because the pack wasn't as certain as he was because he didn't experience it the same way they had, the laws that protected imprints did not apply to her.

It was total bullshit, in Jacob's opinion.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, yesterday." He apologizes, laying his cheek on the top of her head, rubbing a hand up and down her back, one hand on her shoulder his thumb caressing the soft skin there.

"I'm sorry too. I'm glad you came back, despite the circumstances. I didn't think I would see you again" she said into his chest, and Jacob tried to keep his cool as she felt her warm breath on his skin.

"Yeah, me, either." he said in that soft, husky voice that made Bella feel warm.

"They told me what you had to do, not just about Sam wanting to…"

"S'okay. It was probably only a matter of time till I snapped over something Sam wanted me to do," He lied.

"What about, Seth?" she asked, hugging him tighter.

"He's actually really happy to help."

"Is Seth out on patrol?" She asked, letting go of him to look around him for the younger wolf, as if expecting him to appear.

"Yea, and Leah's taking a nap."

Bella's face paled a little when he mentioned Leah.

"Why is she with you?" she breathed.

"To keep an eye on Seth." he explained short and simple rather than give her the entire novelization.

"But, doesn't Leah hate me, and he Cullens?" He could see that she was afraid.

"Hate is such a strong word, she strongly dislikes you is more accurate." he said, trying to make light of the situation.

"Strongly dislike is just a nice way of saying hate." she glares up at him, not buying it for one second.

"Are you sure I can trust her," she frowns, getting that little wrinkle between her eyebrows, her hands going protectively to her stomach.

"You're scared of Leah, who's in my pack," He looked at Rosalie. "but you're best buds with the psychopath Blonde?"

He didn't want to fight with her, but it was just so damn hard.

Rosalie hissed at him.

Bella frowned.

"Jacob, don't...I told you already that Rose….understands."

"Yeah, she understands that if your pregnancy does get worse like they all think, and you die or something goes wrong,she gets your kid out of the deal."

"Stop being a jerk, Jacob, I don't want to fight with you." she said, her cheeks puffing a little.

"You say that likes it's possible," he tried to smile.

"But seriously, Leah will be fine, she going to steer clear of the house. She can't stand the smell."

"I don't want anyone to die for me, Jacob, that includes you. If it comes to a fight, I'll find a way to run, I don't want any of you to get hurt….including Leah."

"How exactly do you, a heavily pregnant woman, plan to our run a group of wolves?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"I'll take a car. Have you seen the Cullen's garage, I'm sure one of those things can outrun you guys." she shrugged.

"You just have it all planned out don't you." he smirked, shaking his head in astonishment.

"Kinda," she said with a secretive smile.

"Bella, your food is going to get cold." Rosalie reminded her.

"Well, are we going to eat inside or outside," she asked Jacob, looking at him the way he hated. Like he was her favorite person in the world.

"Let's go inside, it's warmer." he said when he noticed her start to shiver. She only nodded, sticking close to his side as they went in.

He didn't see any of the other vampires as they walked through the house towards the kitchen. He guessed they were all holed up stairs, at least that was where all the noises were coming from. He was also certain he heard the familiar sounds of someone playing Halo.

The scent of the food almost overpowered the stench of the vampires, and Jacob's mouth watered the closer they got. When they turned into the kitchen/dining room, the entire table was covered with plates of food from end to end.

"Dang, Bells, you've cooked enough to feed a small army. How long did this take?" he couldn't help but ask as he went to help Bella sit down at the head of the table, but Blondie beat him too it, glaring at him all the while and talking sweetly to Bella. Too bad she couldn't read his mind like Edward, she would have found some pretty colorful words about herself in there.

"Not as long as you would think, plus I like to cook. I also know how much you guys eat, I've seen it first hand. Do you think this is enough for all of you." she asked, concerned more about the rest of our appetites then her own.

"Trust me, this is enough" he said, admiring all off the food. Plates of bacon and ham, BLT's, bowls of scrambled eggs(They must have gotten more when Esme and Carlisle went out), mountains of pancakes and waffles, and pyramids of sausage.

"Have I told you I loved you today yet?" he asked, still staring at the food with his mouth hanging open.

"Not yet," she blushed.

"Well, I do, so freaking much," he said before picking up a fork and picking things from the table and piling them onto his plate. Bella laughed, happy to see him so energetic over her food. And since she could lean as far over the table because of her stomach, Rose helped her make her plate.

As they ate, Bella monitored how much food was left, making sure Jacob left enough for Seth and Leah.

**TBC**

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><p><em>Another 5am update, I don't know what's wrong with me. Either way, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and can't wait to hear what you guys think in the reviews. Remember, reviews make me happy, and when I'm happy you get 5am, next day updates.<em>

_Love you guys,_

_VDR_


	5. Chapter 5

_Fixed the POV mistake I made in the last chapter along with a few other spelling errors. _

_Also shit gets real in this chapter. _

_We also discover something incredible about the baby or at least hear a theory that's connected to why Bella's pregnancy isn't killing her like in canon._

_And thank you everyone who has reviewed and favorited this story up until now, and hope you continue to review. _

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

The entire time Jacob and Bella ate, Rosalie watched them. Lucky for Jacob he was slowly becoming a master of ignoring people and tuning them out.

"So….Leah?" Bella suddenly said as, nibbling at the corner of a piece of toast smeared with peanut butter.

"Uh huh..Leah?" Jacob said slowly, not trusting where this could lead. He hated fighting with Bella just as much as she hated fighting with him.

"You never told me how she's been handling Sue and Charlie's relationship," she said, not looking him in the eyes as she took a big gulp of her glass of milk.

"She doesn't like it. Thinks it's too soon after Harry died for her mom to be dating again." he told her, putting more pancakes on his plate and drowning them in syrup and butter.

"Oh," she bobbed her head absentmindedly.

"Any improvement with Edward? Seth pretty much said he looked like shit earlier." Jacob knew it was mistake to ask, he knew before he said it and after but he just couldn't help himself. Plus maybe he could get her to tell him about her dream of him. It always makes a guy warm and fuzzy inside to know the girl of your dreams says your name in her sleep. Especially the way she had said it in that dreamy little sigh that could only mean it was a good dream.

"Apparently I wouldn't stop shivering last night and I had a fever." she explains.

"How bad of a fever!?" she had looked fairly ok when he peeked in last night, and despite the layers of blankets she hadn't appeared to be sweating.

"104." she mumbled.

Jacob clenched his teeth and pinched shut his eyes. He didn't like the thought of her running a fever that high, or the thought of her sick at all.

"But I feel better now," she adds quickly not wanting him to worry too much.

"And the baby?" Jacob wasn't too aware of the symptoms of pregnancy besides the obvious, but it probably wasn't a good thing if you ran a fever.

"Well…"she frowned, and glanced up at Rose.

"Well, what? He's ok, right?" Jacob wasn't sure if he felt panic for the baby, or if it was for Bella. Maybe both. Bella wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she somehow let the baby get sick or if something went wrong. It would kill her. He didn't want to see her that way, didn't want to see her broken again.

"The only way to know anything for sure is if we did an Amniocentesis, and…"

"But you said that amniotic-whatever-thing was too hard or something, it didn't work." he interrupted her.

"We never actually tried." she admitted, and he noticed the way she glanced at Rosalie. It was a quick, barely noticeable look, but he caught it and so did Rosalie. Vampire Barbie, narrowed her eyes at Bella.

"Bella,..." the tone of Rosalie's voice was a warning, she didn't want Bella to say anymore.

"Why not?" he glared at Rosalie, already sensing that she was somehow behind the reason.

"Rosalie won't let me." Bella answered, speaking fast as she stole her courage.

"Why the hell not, if it means you can find out if the baby is ok, or even what it is? This might be enough to get the pack off your back, if it works that is and we can find out more about the baby!" he said and wanted to rip blondie's head off for being so stupid.

"Do you really think so?" she asked, pushing her plate away. Rosalie took a step forward, glaring and hissing at Jacob.

"Maybe." he told her, knowing there was no guarantee when it came to Sam.

"Or Carlisle could hurt the baby." Rosalie said, stepping up to the table, one hand gently on Bella's shoulder, and the other flat against the table as she continued to glare at Jacob.

"Then we'll make sure he doesn't. If Bella feels like she's in any pain, or feels like something is wrong we'll stop him." he says, putting his own hands flat on the table as he stood, pushing his chair back as he did.

"Stop it, both of you?" Bella glared at them both.

"I'll do it. Jacob's right, I shouldn't have gotten a fever. What if something's wrong with the baby and this is our only way to find out?" she put her hand over Rosalie's and looked at her.

Rosalie stared at her for a long time, her eyes softening only slightly as she thought out what to do. Not that it was really Rosalie's choice, but she had a deep hold over Bella, that was obvious.

"We have to at least try, Rose….for the baby." she said. Jacob wanted to grin in victory when he saw the look in Bella's eyes, the look that said no matter what Rosalie wanted, Bella had already made up her mind.

"Then we should let Carlisle know of our decision," Rosalie sighed, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder irritably. "After you're finished eating, of course."

"I knew you would understand, Rose." Bella, relieved, smiled at Rosalie brightly. Hopefully it would work and they could find out more about the baby, what it was, maybe even get a deffinent answer if it was dangerous or not.

"Speaking of the baby, Seth won't shut up about getting to feel him kick." Jacob rolled his eyes and shoveled more food into his mouth, feeling much more relaxed now that the issue of the amniocentesis was out of the way.

"Really? Well I don't mind letting him feel," she said. He noticed that her appetite had returned, pulling back her plate and finishing off what was on it. Jacob smiled. At least she wasn't craving blood. The baby had to be more human than they all thought, after all he imagined Bella would be in worse shape than she was if it was more vampire. Even stronger.

"I personally think his obsession with the idea is a bit creepy, but the kids a bit of a weirdo any way," he said off offhandedly with another shrug. They were all shrugging a lot.

"I think he's sweet." Bella said with fondness in her voice. "He's actually probably too sweet for his own good."

"Yeah, it's going to get him in trouble one day. Probably already has by deciding to follow me," he said with a frown.

Mimicking his frown, Bella reached over the table and took his hand in hers.

"I know what you're thinking, but you also need to remember that Seth didn't decide to leave the pack and follow you _because _of you. He did it because he wanted to do the right thing by his conscience. Not the right thing by you." she told him. She could read him just as well as he could read her.

"From the very beginning, despite his age, Seth has always made his own choices and has always followed his heart. It's one of the things I admire about you both." she told him

"Both?" he asked, turning his hand so that he could properly hold hers.

"What I love most about you, Jacob, is how simple and sentimental you are and that you have always followed your heart. That and how you always used to smile." she said, her still thin hand holding onto his tightly.

"It's also what I love about Seth. He reminds me so much of you, of how you used to be before you phased." she explained. "You both have this incredible ability to make everyone feel better when you smile. Because when you smile, even in the lightest of ways, you do it with your whole heart"

"I'm not like that anymore, Bells. It's too hard to smile sometimes, especially when I have nothing to smile _about _anymore." he shook his head, the weight of what he's been through heavy on his shoulders.

"I know. But now, when you do smile, that fact makes them all the more beautiful. I have never stopped loving your smile, even when I stopped seeing it." she said a little sadly, and stiffens when she see's Jacob hunch over a little, his face shifting.

"I'm sorry," he said in such a small voice she wasn't entirely sure she had heard him at first.

"Hey, look at me." she twisted in her seat, and stretched her other hand across the table. Touching his cheek, she forced him to look at her. "Too much has happened in your life for me not to expect you to have changed. But I don't think all those changes are bad either."

"You're still you, still Jake." she gave him one of those smiles again; like she was his favorite person in the world.

"And no matter what, we will always be Jake and Bells. That something so concrete, nothing in the world can change it. We can always find ourselves in each other." she promised him.

Jacob and Bella understood and connected in a way not many other people could understand. Not even her relationship with Edward could compare. Bella always felt torn, because no matter how much she loved Edward she knew that on some level, she was meant for Jacob. They were two sides of the same coin, soul-mates if things had been different and the world wasn't filled with monsters and magic. Jacob had been right when he told her that he was the natural path her life should have taken. That he was exactly right for her. The vision she had on the mountain was like a glimpse into the future of what could have been. A fulfilled and happy life with Jacob and a family that was easy as breathing.

Sometimes she would still dream of them. Charlie and Renée mixed into a strange collage with Billy and La Push. Years passing, and meaning something as they passed, changing her. She could see the enormous red-brown wolf that she loved, always standing as protector if she needed him. But most of all she dreamed of the bobbing heads of two small, black-haired children. Sometimes it would be a boy and a girl, sometimes two boys or two girls. But the strangest things was that their was always two children. And they were always beautiful, with my brown eyes, Jacob's black hair, and a pale tan mix of our skin.

She wondered what this baby would look like. For some terrible, unexplained reason, she didn't want the baby to look like Edward. He was beautiful, and Carlisle said he had incredible green eyes when he was human, and his hair was just so soft and such a pretty color, yet she no longer wanted these traits for her son. Before, every time she pictured him, he would always look just like Edward. But slowly the image was changing. He would have her brown hair and eyes. She could see him with Charlie's nose and her shaped face. But sometimes, she would dream of him having Jacob's black hair and that feeling of shame would once again come over her. Despite the situation she was still married, and this wasn't Jacob's baby. Sometimes she had to remind herself of these facts when her imagination started to wander.

"Yeah, Jake and Bells...Always." he smiled his old smile at her and Bella could see some of her _sun _shining through the cracks.

"And, since you so blatantly said I looked like crap the other day then you should also know that you look even worse. When was the last time you slept?" she said ruthlessly, but their was a softness there as she combed her fingers through his hair, pushing some of it back and curving her fingers around his ear. A thrill went through her when he gave an pleasurable tremble from the touch before he gently pulled her hand away.

"You noticed, huh?" he said, looking at his plate. He didn't want her too worry about him, she had enough to worry about.

"Of course I did!" she snapped at him. "You have to sleep, Jake."

"I can't," he said, taking another bite of sausage.

"What do you mean you can't?" she narrowed her eyes.

"I have to make sure that-"

"Stop!" she raised a hand. "I don't want to hear your excuses. After breakfast you are going to take a nap on the couch while me and Rose talk to Carlisle. You can't protect anyone if you're exhausted." she told him.

"And don't think about arguing with me. I'm not exactly giving you a choice." she told him, her hand squeezing his. This wouldn't have matter otherwise, the touch of course was persuasive, but it was the strength behind it. It didn't hurt, but it was getting close.

That was impossible. Jacob thought.

"Bella?" he said, looking down at her hand.

"Oh!" she suddenly let go, her hands going to her stomach.

"What's wrong?!" Rosalie was at her side in less than a second, Jacob slowly following as he stood with such force it knocked his chair back. Both of them were at her side, searching her face and looking back an forth towards her stomach.

"He kicked again," she answered, sounding out of breath as she rubbed at her stomach soothingly.

"Did it hurt? Be honest, Bells." he asked her, one hand over hers.

"Yeah, but the pain is going away. It's always like this though, sometimes he'll kick too hard or move around too suddenly but right afterwards the pain is gone almost immediately." she explained to him, knowing full well she couldn't lie to him and didn't want to.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She could only think to show him. Standing up, with the help of Rosalie, Bella lifted her shirt over her stomach, showing him the pale flesh of her stomach.

"The bruises, their gone!" both he and Rosalie gasped. Bella has insisted on changing without help that morning, so Rosalie or anyone else hadn't been aware of this before. The skin of her protruding stomach was smooth, the only marks visible were her stretch marks which were normal.

"How is that possible?" he said in a small, amazed voice.

"I don't know, but I have the strangest feeling that the _baby is healing me._" she knew how ridiculous it must sound, that there had to be some other explanation, or maybe there wasn't and it really was the baby that had healed her. "It's why my pregnancy isn't like what Edward's read about...maybe."

"I don't think we should wait to talk to Carlisle anymore," said Rosalie, and was already helping Bella out of her chair when Edward appeared in the entrance of the kitchen, his eyes startled but something was still dead inside of them.

Jacob would have thought he would be relieved to hear his child wasn't the monster he thought it was, that it might actually be healing his wife, making Bella stronger even. He thought, looking at the hand she had so tightly gripped. To grip his hand so tight like that wasn't possible for a human. Something about Bella was changing, and it was because of the baby.

"Get out of our way, Edward, we have to see Carlisle?" Rosalie practically hissed at her.

Jacob was surprised when Bella suddenly grabbed his hand, tugging him closer to her side as she eyed Edward wearily. Jacob was so confused. He thought she would be trying to convince him about the baby, tell him her theory that it was healing her, so that he would finally accept his own child. But she didn't. What else had happened between the two of them? He wondered. It had to have been more than just the baby to create such a huge rift between them.

"Bella, love?" Edward said, his voice flat as ever, but this time his eyes finally gave a little, softening as he took a step towards them. "Is everything alright?"

"We really need to talk to Carlisle, Edward," she told him, her own eyes softening, looking at him almost apologetically as if she had done something wrong. Jacob frowned.

"About what?" he asked, taking another step.

"My fever last night. I'm worried that it might have affected the baby somehow." she said, a few loose strands falling from her braid and into his face. He was quickly in front of her, tucking the dark strands back in place, ignoring the hands on both of his shoulders from Rosalie and Jacob. He didn't even look at them.

"It would be better if it did. If it's sick, it would be a gift to put it out of it's misery." he said coldly, his voice and eyes frigid.

Before they could stop her, Bella had slapped Edward, her brown eyes burning with deep fury at her husband. Her hand should have very well been broken, yet she seemed to be in no pain as she continued to glare at Edward. Either it didn't actually injure her hand, or the adrenaline and anger rushing through her veins was temporarily numbing the pain to her.

Edward stared at her stunned, as did Rosalie and Jacob. The sound of her hand hitting his cold stone face was enough to gather the rest of the houses attention, all of them slowly filling the doorway. Just watching.

"This is your son too, Edward, and I am tired of you talking about murdering him like it's nothing." she was so incredibly infuriated she was shaking, the hand she hit him with now an angry fist.

"Why do you hate him so much? He's not hurting me like you thought he would, in fact he might be doing the opposite, and I am not withering away and dying like the legends say. But still you can't accept your own child. Why?! Just tell me that!" she screamed, angry tears gathering in her eyes.

"BECAUSE IT'S MINE!" he didn't shout, he _roared_. Bella almost stumbled back from the sheer power of his voice, and she surely would have if Jacob and Rosalie weren't there to hold her up.

"Because it is _mine_ I am incapable of loving it." he said in a much lower voice. "As long as some part of it is also a part of me it will always be a monster."

There was a long, long moment of silence as everyone absorbed the weight and meaning of Edwards confession.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Bella full on growled at him.

"You can't love your son because you can't love yourself?" she asked with closed eyes, her hands still fisted tightly as she kept herself from hitting him again until she heard his answer.

"Yes-"

SMACK! Another slap.

Emmett whistled in the background.

"I have fought to be with you, I have done nothing but let you know how perfect you are too me, and how much I love you and your family has done the same. We have given you every reason to believe you are both capable of receiving and giving love. Yet you still can't love yourself?"

"Bella, your hand-" stunned once more by the fact that she had hit him, concerned filled Edward to the brim, worried she might have broken her hand not even noticing that she appeared to be in no pain.

"I know you think your a monster without a soul, but I thought I had finally gotten through to you after we got married," she said. "I thought maybe you would even see this as proof. That your not only capable of bringing death like you think, but also giving life."

"I thought you would have been happy when we found out that I was pregnant, I thought you loved me enough to love our child to-"

"I do love you-"

"Then you can love our child. Remember that our son is half of me. If you love me, you have to love him too." stepping out from between Jacob and Rosalie, Bella reaches for Edwards hand. Slowly she begins to bring it to the swell of her stomach.

"Just feel him, listen to his heart, remember that he's a part of me and-" just as Edwards fingers were about to touch her stomach he roughly pulled his hand from her, a look of pure disgust warping his face.

"I can't, I'm sorry" he closed his eyes tight, unable to look her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry too, Edward," the look of absolute defeat on Bella's face was heartbreaking, they could almost hear the shattering of her own.

She shook her head and sniffed.

"I'm sorry that I can't do this anymore, that I can't be so selfish with you anymore, because I have someone else to think about now and what's best for him," she cradled her stomach. "and you have made it abundantly clear that's not you."

"Bella, what are you saying?" Edwards face was one of terror, as if he knew what she was about to say even without having to read her mind.

"Bella, Love, please-"

"I have given up everything so that I can be with you: Charlie, Renee, Jacob, my friends, my future, everything so that I could have forever with you. Because I love you," she shook her head and sniffed, rubbing soothing circles over her belly. "But I will not give up this."

"If you can't love yourself enough to love your son, or even love me enough to love him, than this marriage is over." as the bomb dropped from the sky, it was if Edward hadn't even heard her until it finally exploded in front of him when she took off her wedding rings and put them in his hand.

_Over._

"Getting married was a mistake from the start. It was something I never even wanted...All I wanted was you, and I couldn't have all of you unless I agreed to marry you so I could be with you completely in every way.v So I made one last sacrifice for you, but I promised you that was the very last one." she had to get away, she couldn't be in the same room with him too much longer or she would break. She would tell him she didn't mean it, apologize for something she didn't need to be sorry for. She had to either leave herself, or somehow get him to walk away first.

She just had one last thing to say. Something he needed to know.

"No matter how much I regret getting married, please know that I will never regret loving you and will always love you. All the fighting, all the sacrifice, it was worth it. I just wish you could love yourself as much as I love you." she smiled at him then, a smile that broke his unbeating heart, because it was a smile that said goodbye.

"You are my wife, I won't give up on you and I will not get a divorce. I told you once I was old fashioned, I meant it. I don't believe in divorce, and if that's what you want, it is the one thing that I will not give you." he spun on his heels then and with a whoosh was gone. Not long after they could hear the slam of a door and the breaking of glass as he proceeded to destroy his room.

It was Emmett who said something first.

"Holy shit," he cursed, staring wide eyed where Edward had once stood.

"I think I need to lie down," Bella said weakly, the confrontation leaving her feeling completely drained, her heart aching as she tried to keep it from crumbling. She had to be strong, she had to for her son.

"Are you sure? Why don't we just sit you back down. It's closer." Rosalie said, guiding Bella to the closest chair.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Bella breathed, letting Rosalie help her.

Jacob just stood there with the rest. Shocked. He hadn't really thought this would happen, he had expected Edward to come around eventually, for Bella to keep clinging to him no matter what. For some reason, he knew he should be happy about all of this, it meant he could have a chance again. But when he looked at Bella's face, and the burning man that was Edward, he felt almost ashamed. Bella was hurting, she didn't want it to come to this. He knew how much she loves the vamp, and for awhile he had made her happy. Jacob always wanted Bella happy, and right now she wasn't happy.

To comfort Bella now, felt wrong, like he was taking advantage of her. That he was happy about this, even though he was a little bit, but he knew it wasn't right. He shouldn't be happy over something that made the woman he loved miserable. He knew the best he could do is give her space, let her figure out if this really was the right thing to do without his influence. So while Rosalie and the other woman soothed Bella, he worked on putting the left dover food away for Seth and Leah, knowing that once Bella was calmer she would be worrying about it. Carlisle tried to help, but Jacob explained as nice as he could that Leah might not eat if she knew a vampire had touched her food. Carlisle didn't take offense, instead he helped by showing Jacob where everything was in the kitchen.

"You should go see how he is. He might destroy more than his own room soon if no one goes up and stops him." Jacob said so softly that if Carlisle wasn't a vampire he wouldn't have heard him. The vampire smiled. He was wise enough to know not to say anything. Jacob was already feeling embarrassed and ashamed for even caring about Edward even a tiny bit.

With a whoosh, Carlisle was gone, having gone upstairs to comfort his distraught son. Jacob missed his own dad. At least Rachel was around to take care of him while he handled things here, but still….

There was still a lot of food left despite what he had ate, but he knew none of it would go to waist between Seth and Leah. When he was done, he felt just as exhausted as Bella, bone tired and in desperate need of a nap of his own. Breathing in slowly he closed his eyes and leaned against the counter, so close to falling asleep right there standing up. Maybe he would take the couch, for just a few minutes. He would have just slept outside but with Edward in a rampage upstairs and Bella near hysterical herself he thought it best not to go too far just in case. Jacob hoped the vamps could calm them down. Right now Jacob felt like more of an outsider than ever before in the vamps mansion.

But one glance from Bella, and he knew he wasn't going anywhere. Even if he couldn't comfort her, his presence was somehow enough to help her settle down just a little. So he would stay.

Emmett was still gaping in the entry of the kitchen/dining room. Somehow still in shock.

What the hell was wrong with him? Jacob looked his way at the gorilla sized vampire.

"Does this mean Bella's not going to be a vampire anymore?" Emmett pouted, god dam full on pouted like a toy had just been stolen from him. What the hell?

Jacob just shook his head, everyone else having either not heard him or were just ignoring him. The other one, Jasper, had also disappeared. Knowing what his power was, Jacob had a feeling he was upstairs with Carlisle trying to calm Edward down.

By the time Jacob was done putting the last of the food in a plastic container, the female vampires had started to move a very sleepy looking Bella to the living room to lie her down on the couch. She had only woken a few hours ago, but she was as much on the verge of conking out as he was. Putting the food in the fridge, Jacob followed them out, giving Emmett a pat on the shoulder. The guy looked just as messed up as Bella and Edward. He didn't comment on it, just gave him a manly patt and followed after Bella.

They were just sitting Bella down, propping up her feet, when Bella gave him that smile and beckoned him over.

"Come on, Jake, you can take a nap with me." he didn't argue, not wanting to upset her anymore.

Striding over the couch, not caring about the glaring female vampires around him, he squeezed himself behind Bella so that she was sitting between his legs and started to lay them back. It was Esme who through the blanket over them before he could grab it from the back of the couch. She smiled at both of them, and kissed Bella's forehead before she ushered Alice and Rosalie to leave with her, letting the two of them sleep in peace and what semblance of privacy you could have in a house filled with vampires.

"I know you might not believe me, but I have to say it anyway," Jacob said, his eyes already closed as he rested his head on the armrest, his feet dangling off the other end as Bella hummed sleepily in recognition. "I'm sorry about you and Edward, I mean it."

"I know, Jake, but lets not talk about it. Right now I just want to sleep." she mumbled, her own eyes closed as she snuggled into him as much as she could with her back to his chest. He had his arms around her shoulders, and one of her hands played with the fine dusting of hair on his arms.

"Sure sure." he had no problem with that at all. Kissing the crown of her head, he inhaled her amazing scent before letting himself drift to sleep with Bella in his arms.

They didn't get to sleep for long before two howl pierced the still morning air. There was no mistaking the urgency of the tone. No misunderstanding this time. It was the real deal.

**TBC**

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><p><em>Told you shit was going to get real. This of course isn't the end of Bella and Edwards interactions, they still love each other and Edward has made it clear he won't give up on Bella. But is he as sane about it as you think, is destroying his room really enough? How desperate is Edward to keep his wife with him? These are questions you should start asking.<em>

_So we learned, or have begun to explore a new theory about the baby this chapter. Is it really healing Bella, is that why's she stronger, healthier? Maybe. We'll find out in the next chapter I suppose._

_I am really ,really, really, looking forward to everyone's feedback on this particular chapter. It was a tough one for me, and I really tried my best with it. With that said,_

_BRING ON THE REVIEWS._

_Love you guys,_

_VDR_


	6. Chapter 6

_Got to be honest, getting a little disheartened by the lack of reviews for the last chapter, but I'm trying not to think about it and remind myself that though I didn't get many reviews the chapter/story was favorited a good number of times to let me know that people are still interested in this story._

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

"Damn it!" Jacob snarled behind Bella as he helped her sit back up so he could stand from the couch. She was already fast asleep, and not even the howling had woken her. He was careful to not wake her up as he lay her back down. She had enough to deal with, if she wasn't awake to deal with the stress the better. Rosalie was once again back in the room, guarding Bella and so was the others, all except Edward.

"Jake," Bella mumbled in her sleep as he ran out of the house, hurling himself off the porch, letting the fire of his phase rip him apart midair. There was a sharp tearing sound as his clothes shredded. _Crap. _He thought. Those were the only clothes that he had. Didn't matter now, he supposed. He landed on paws and took off toward the west.

_What is it? _I shouted in his head.

_Incoming, _Seth answered. _At least three._

_Did they split up?_

_I'm running the line back to Seth as the speed of light, _Leah promised. He could feel the air huffing through her lungs as she pushed herself to an incredible velocity. The forest whipped around her. _So far, no other point of attack._

_Seth, _do _not challenge them. Wait for me. _

_They're slowing. Ugh-it's so _off _not being able to hear them. I think…."_

_What?_

_I think they've stopped._

_Waiting for the rest of the pack?_

_Shh. Feel that?_

Jacob absorbed Seth's impressions. The faint, soundless shimmer in the air.

_Someone's phasing?_

_Feels like it, _Seth agreed.

Leah flew into the small, open space where Seth waited. She raked her claws into the dirt, spinning out like a race car.

_Got your back, bro._

_They're coming, _Seth said nervously. _Slow. Walking._

_Almost there, _Jacob told them. He tried to fly like Leah. It felt horrible being separated from Seth and Leah with potential danger closer to their end than to his. He should be with them, between them and whatever was coming.

_Look who's getting all paternal, _Leah thought wryly.

_Head in the game, Leah._

_Four, _Seth decided. Kid had good ears. _Three wolves, one man._

He finally made it into the clearing then. moving immediately to the point. Seth sighed with relief and then straightened up, already in place at his right shoulder. Leah fell in on his left with a little less enthusiasm.

_So now I rank under Seth, _she grumbled to herself.

_First come, first served, _Seth thought smugly. '_Sides, you were never an Alpha's Third before. Still an upgrade._

_Shh!_ Jacob complained. _I don't care where you stand. Shut up and get ready._

They came into view a few seconds later, walking as Seth had thought. Jared in the front, human, hands up. Paul, Quil and Collin were on four legs behind him. There was no aggression in their postures. They hung back behind Jared, ears up, alert but calm.

It was strange though that Sam would send Collin rather than Embry. That wasn't what Jacob would do if he were sending a diplomacy party into enemy territory. He wouldn't send a kid, but an experienced fighter.

_A diversion? _Leah thought.

Were Sam, Embry and Brady making a move alone? That didn't seem too likely.

_Want me to check? I can run the line and be back in two minutes, _Leah offered.

_Should I warn the Cullens? _ Seth wondered.

_What if the point was to divide up? _Jacob asked. _The Cullens heard your howl, they know something is up and are ready._

_Sam wouldn't be so stupid,..._Leah whispered, fear in her mind. She was imagining Sam tracking the Cullens with only two others beside him.

_No, he wouldn't, _he assured her, though he felt a little sick at the image in her head, too.

All the while, Jared and the three wolves stared at them, waiting. It was eerie not to hear what Quil, Paul, and Collin were saying to one another. Their expressions gave away nothing.

Jared cleared his throat, and then he nodded to Jacob.

"White flag of truce, Jake. We're here to talk."

_Think it's true? _Seth asked.

_Makes sense, but…._

_Yeah, _Leah agreed. _But._

They didn't relax.

Jared frowned. "It would be easier to talk if I could hear you, too."

Jacob stared him down. He wasn't going to phase back until he felt better about this situation. Until it made sense. Why Collin? That was the part that worried him the most.

"Okay. I guess I'll just talk, then," Jared said. "Jake, we want you to come back."

Quil let out a soft whine behind him. Seconding the statement.

"You've torn our family apart. It's not meant to be this way.

Jacob wasn't exactly in disagreement with that, but he had another family right now that needed him more. Bella and the baby. He might not disagree, but that was hardly the point. There were still a few unresolved differences between him and Sam at the moment.

"We know that you feel….strongly about the situation with the Cullens. We know that's a problem. But this is an overreaction."

Seth growled. _Overreaction? And attacking our allies without warning with the intent to kill a pregnant woman _isn't_?_

_Seth, have you ever heard of a poker face? Cool it._

_Sorry._

Jared's eyes flickered to Seth and back to me. "Sam is willing to take this slowly, Jacob. He's calmed down, talked to the Elders. They've decided that immediate action is in no one's best interest at this point."

_Translation: They've already lost the element of surprise, _Leah thought.

It was weird how distant their joint thinking was. The pack was already Sam's pack. Something outside and other. It was especially weird to have Leah thinking that way.

"Billy and Sue agree with you, Jacob, that we can wait for Bella...to be separated from the problem. Killing her is not something any of us feel comfortable with."

Though he had just given Seth crap for it, he couldn't hold back a snarl of his own. So _now _they didn't feel comfortable with murder?

And what problem? The more he spent time with Bella, saw the change in her, remembered the smooth skin of her bulging stomach without a single bruise, the baby became more of a miracle like Bella believe him to be. He had seen the proof that morning, felt it in the strength of Bella's grip and the way she had slapped Edward without a mark on her small hands.

Jared raised his hands again. "Easy, Jake. You know what I meant. The point is. we're going to wait and reassess the situation. Decide later if there's a problem with the...thing."

Jacob snarled again. He hated them calling the baby that. He just wished they could see what he saw. At least Seth and Leah saw it too, though it was through him. Still they saw it. Saw how Bella glowed, saw the healthy shine of her hair, felt the grip of her hand.

_Wow! _Seth thought, going through Jacob's memories of breakfast that morning.

_Don't listen to him, Jake. _Leah though.

_You don't buy it? _he asked her.

_I know what they're thinking, Jake. What Sam's thinking. They're betting on Bella dying anyway because they don't know what we know, they only remember the images of the bruises and how frail and sick she had looked. They figured that if she does die you'll be so mad…._

_That I'll lead the attack myself. _His ears pressed against his skull. What Leah was guessing sounded pretty spot on. And very possible, too. If….If the baby was killing Bella. If it did, it would be easy to forget how he felt about Carlisle's family. They would look like enemies, no more than bloodsucking leeches all over again. But that wouldn't be the case.

_You should tell him about the baby, Jake, about the amnio-whatever. You said it yourself it might change there mind if they knew more about it. _Seth whispered.

_Maybe. _he huffed a sigh.

_Leah, make a circuit-just to be sure. I'm going to have to talk to him, and I want to be _positive _there isn't anything else going on while I'm phased...that they won't attack Bella._

_Give me a break, Jacob. You can phase in front of me. Despite my best efforts, I've seen you naked before-doesn't do much for me, no offense._

_I'm not trying to protect the innocence of your eyes, I'm trying to protect our backs. Now, get out of here._

Leah snorted once and then launched herself into the forest. He could hear her claws cutting into the soil, pushing her faster.

Nudity was an inconvenient but unavoidable part of pack life. They had all thought nothing of it before Leah came along. Then it got awkward. Leah had average control when it came to her temper-it took her the usual length of time to stop exploding out of her clothes every time she got pissed. They had all caught a glimpse. And it wasn't like it was anything worth looking at; it was just that it was so not worth it when she caught one of them thinking about it later.

Jared and the others were staring at the place where she'd disappeared into the brusht with wary expressions.

"Where's she going?" Jared asked.

He ignored him, closing his eyes and pulling himself together again. It felt like the air was trembling around him, shaking out from him in small waves. He lifted himself up on his hind legs, catching the moment just right so that he was fully upright as he shimmered down into his human self.

"Oh," Jared said. "Hey, Jake."

"Hey, Jared."

"Thanks for talking to me."

"Yeah."

"We want you to come back, man."

Quil whined again.

"It's not that easy, Jared."

"Come home," he said, leaning forward. Pleading. "We can sort this out. You don't belong here. Let Seth and Leah come home, too."

Jacob full on laughed. "Right. Like I haven't been begging them to do that from our one."

Seth snorted behind him.

Jared assessed that, his eyes cautious again. "So, what now?"

"I wish you guys would just accept that Bella's my imprint, this would make everything so much easier." Jacob couldn't help but sigh. "You tell me to come home, but have you ever considered that my home is wherever Bella is?"

"Jacob, you did not imprint on Bella. We would all know if you had, trust me,"

"You're wrong. I have been trying to convince all of you from day one that just because I didn't have that same big _moment _when you imprinted, doesn't mean that I didn't imprint on her." he shook his head.

"You know how much I lover her, how I feel about her. You can't say that if you compare the way I feel about Bella to the way you feel about Kim, that it won't be the same." he told him with conviction. "The only difference is that I felt this way about her even before I phased."

"If you really let yourself think about it, you'll see how it makes sense. You'll know that I'm right. But none of you want to, because you know what it will mean if you do."

"Jacob…"

"Even if that wasn't the case, things wouldn't be able to go back to normal anyway, Jared." he said. "I don't know how it works, but it doesn't feel like I can just turn this Alpha thing off and on as the mood strikes."

"You still belong with us."

"Do you not remember how close it got last night? Two Alpha's can't be in the same place, Jared. The instinct is too competitive."

"So are you all just going to hang out with the parasites for the rest of your lives?" he demanded to know.

"You don't have a home here. You're already out of clothes." he _literally _pointed out."You gonna stay wolf all the time? You know Leah doesn't like eating that way."

"If it really bothers you so much, then I'll let you know that Bella made us breakfast this morning. We won't starve. And Leah can do whatever she wants. She's here on her own choice. I'm not telling anyone what to do."

"Bella is _cooking _for you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. Because despite what you might think, she does care about us. She doesn't want anyone on either sides to get hurt because of her." he told him.  
>Jared scoffed.<p>

"Yeah, right. She should have thought of that before she chose the leeches over us, the ones who had been protecting her, the ones who had accepted her even when if you didn't imprint on her." Jacob hadn't been the only one hurt when Bella chose Edward over him.

"Edward and her are over. He won't accept the baby, so she ended things with him." he hadn't meant for it to come out, honestly. But he still felt the need to defend Bella, to have them accept her like they once had.

"So what? It's not like she going to go running into your arms. Don't kid yourself, Jake. She's never wanted you the same way she's wanted him."

"You don't know that." he growled.

"She's having it's spawn, Jacob, get your head out of your ass already and come back to reality." Jared shook.

"Baby." said Jacob, correcting him. "It's just a little baby. And it's healing her."

"What do you mean it's healing her?" Jared was starting to think that Jacob was just making stuff up now to protect her.

"The bruises you saw in my head last night are gone, there's not a mark on Bella's skin, she's also stronger and healthier than she was before." he explained. "Bella thinks it's because of the baby."

"We're also going to do an amniocentesis, to see if we can figure out more about the baby. If it works we can give you proof if it's more vampire than human or vice versa. That he's not some horrible, ravenous monster that will eat the towns folk once he's born." he rolled his eyes as he spoke the last part.

"Just give us time to run the tests and give you the results. You can decide if you still want to kill him after we give you the information." he tried to compromise. "Just know, no matter the results, I will still protect Bella and her child."

Jared thought for a minute.

"How will we know when you have the results?" he asked.

"They do have phones here," Jacob snorted. "I'll call you."

"Really think, Jared. What if you're wrong about the baby and you kill it not knowing whether if it really was human or not? You would have helped murder an _innocent _child." this time it was Jacob doing the pleading.

Jared thought some more.

"You could easily lie about the results." he pointed out. Jacob wanted to pull his goddamn hair out. He had really hoped he would have taken the compromise. At least run it by same first before outright rejecting the idea.

"Than your just going to have to wait and see for yourselves what it is, since no matter what I tell you, no matter the scientific proof that I give you, you won't believe any of it." he shook his head, he had hoped he could end this sooner than later if he could gather some evidence that the baby wasn't a danger to them.

"I guess we'll just see how things go then," Jared frowned. "I'm sorry we can't trust you anymore, Jake."

"It's not that you can't trust me not to lie, it's that you don't want to be proven wrong. You _want_ to believe it's a monster, because it's easier than just accepting the truth." Jacob shook his head.

"We're not murderers, Jacob. If it turns out as you think it is, human, we'll walk away without a second thought." he defended them.

"Why is it, that now I don't trust you to not lie to me?" he narrowed his eyes.

"I wish things had been different, I wish Bella chose you, Jake. We all do, we loved Bella in that short time she was with us, when she was one of us before she chose _them_." Jared stepped forward, waving a hand in the direction of the Cullens house.

"_She was a wolf girl!"_ he shouted. "It's not you, or her, that we can't trust. It's them, and what they are!"

"Believe it or not we're also thinking about Bella, what this must be like for her, the pain and the fear! We hate that we're the ones she's scared of and it makes us feel sick to our stomachs." he confessed to Jacob.

"You know that by the off chance she chose all of a sudden we would accept her. It would be fucking hard, but we would. Because we know she's what makes you happy and we care enough about you to get over our own shit and be happy for you." Jared told him.

"But this!?" he pointed back to the house. "Is this making you happy, watching the woman you love carry that things spawn?"

Jacob swallowed. "But it doesn't feel like he's Edwards. I'm the one who felt him kick, I'm the one who listened to his heartbeat and worried about him. He could have, should be mine."

"But it's not, Jacob. Don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise." Jared said softly, almost sympathetically, like he felt bad for him.

Jacob regretted what he said immediately. He shouldn't let himself trust them with anything so personal anymore, couldn't. It was too dangerous.

"You should go." Jacob said, stepping back, his eyes cold and dangerous. He would protect what he felt was his to protect, Bella and the baby.

Jared frowned and turn to face Seth, concentrating on him now. "Your mom asked me to tell you-no, to beg you-to come home. She's broken hearted, Seth. All alone. I don't know how you and Leah can do this to her. Abandon her this way, when your dad just barely died-"  
>Seth whimpered.<p>

"Ease up, Jared," he warned him.

"Just letting him know how it is." Jared shrugged.

Jacob snorted. "Right."

Sue was tougher than anyone gave her credit for. Tougher than his dad, tougher than him or the entire pack combined. Tough enough to play her kids sympathies if that what it took to get them to come home. But he knew her a little bit better than that. She and Harry raised their kids right, to do the right thing. She was also dating Charlie, and knowing how much she cared for him she knew she wouldn't agree to the slaughter of his daughter and grandchild. It would hurt him too much.

"Sue's known about this for how many hours now? And most of that time I'm sure she was with Billy, Old Quil and Sam. Maybe even Charlie know what a mess he's been. So, yeah, I'm sure she's just perishing in loneliness." he rolled his eyes at the end.

"Of course, you're free to go if you want, Seth. You know that."

Seth sniffed.

A second later, he cocked an ear to the north. Leah must be close. Jeez, she was fast, he thought. Two beats later she was trotting to a stop in the brush a few yards away. He barely noticed the person on her back until she took point in front of Seth and laid down on her belly to let the person off. Both Jared and Jacob gave a surprised gasp as they watched Bella sling her leg over and slide down off of Leah, almost loosing her balance as she waved her arms at her side and teetered forward. It was Leah who caught her, twisting her head and catching the fabric of the jacket Bella was now wearing between her teeth, tugging her back so she was upright. She didn't let go until she was balanced on her feet.

"Thanks, Leah." Bella said looking insecure as looked over her shoulder at the she-wolf. Leah gave a snort before standing and circling her brother.

"Bells, what the hell are you doing?!" Jacob shouted, rushing over to Bella and moving her behind him, shielding her from Jared and the others. "Do you know how reckless riding Leah was. I can't believe she even let you. And what about the baby, or the vamps?"

"Alice told me what was going on when I woke up. I snuck outside when I told them I had to go the bathroom and saw Leah. I begged her to take me to sse you. I want to talk to them, Jake."

"Hell no! I'm taking you back to the house before Blondie comes out here and makes things worse." he glared at her over the shoulder, glancing warily back and forth between her and Jared.

"I want to talk to them," she repeated., touching Jacob's arm and looking around him to Jared. "If they plan to kill my child, then I at least deserve to say my peace."

"Bella-"

"No, I at least get this much." she choked on tears as she looked at the wolves behind Jared, her arms going around her stomach. Fear coursed through her veins and made her heart pound, but still she found the courage to move around Jacob so that Jared could see all of her.

"Please, Bella-" they all heard the roar of the vampires from the house. Edward and Rosalie. They would be there any second.

Bella took advantage of Jacob's distraction to march over to Jared, her UGG boots leaving imprints in the moist earth. He took a few steps back, as if she was the one they should be scared of. Before he could get far she snatched his wrist in a vice grip, startling him with her strength as he tried to break free of her hold. She wouldn't budge.

"I'm sorry, I didn't choose him, I am sorry I hurt you, that you felt that I betrayed you. I loved all of you too, I still do." she told him.

"But just like you have to protect your families, I have to protect mine." she told him, and using both hands she forced his fisted hand open and pulled him forward, laying his hand on her stomach.

"_This is my family!" _she nearly growled, not letting him get away. "And I will protect it to my last breath. If you plan to wait until he's born before you kill him, then you are going to have to pry him from my arms and look me in the eyes to do it."

"Then, when it's over, you better at least have the balls to go to Charlie yourselves and tell him what you did. Tell him how you murdered his only grandchild, and daughter. Because if you want to kill my son, you best be prepared to kill me because I won't just lay there and watch you rip my child apart."

"Let me go!" Jared finally roared, right in her face. Bella didn't even flinch. She let go of his hand then, so suddenly that Jared fell back on his ass from the momentum of trying to pull away himself.

She looked at Quil.

"And you, Quil. I want you to picture, Claire." the wolf growled at the mention of his imprint, but Bella didn't back down. "Now picture a little boy her age with her. A little boy with my brown eyes and hair, and Charlies nose. His face round and cheeks rosy, playing on the beach with Claire."

"Think of what Claire's mother would feel if suddenly Claire was murdered because some idiots jumped to the wrong conclusion about her." she hissed. "Think of your own mother, and how she would feel if one of your enemies came and killed you as a child because they assumed you would phase but never knowing for sure."

He whined.

"Don't listen to her, Quil." Jared barked at him, glaring at Bella.

"None of you can know for sure what my son will turn out to be, just the same as no one could have been sure that any of you would have phased before the Cullens came here." she said, her emotions running high as her face turned a little red.

"You don't know what he is or will be. No one can no until he gets older, until we see what type of person he grows to be. You can't judge a baby and go on a guess that he'll become some psycho murderer!" she shouted, taking a step towards them. It took Jacob grabbing her arm to stop her from getting right up in Jareds' face.

"Before you go back, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I still talk to Emily and Kim. I know for a fact they would never approve of any of this." she told him, and Jared was clearly taken back my this information.

"That's right, Buddy, I even have them on god damn speed dial. You know that roast beef Kim cooked you last week for your birthday? That was my recipe I gave her. She knew I could cook, and wanted to make your favorite but wasn't confident so she called me and I talked her through it." she told him.

"And all those shorts and pants that Emily bought for all of you? I told her about the sale they were having at my job and let her use my discount at Newtons." she explained.

"I might not be a _wolf girl _any more, but I have never stopped being their friend. Because even if you don't like me anymore, they still do, because they know more than anyone that we don't get to choose who we fall in love with."

"BELLA!" Rosalie and Edward finally arrived and were caging her between their arms in seconds, glaring at every single one of the wolves present. Even the ones on their side. The other Cullens arrived soon after.

"It's fine, Jared was just leaving. They didn't hurt me." she told them, feeling suffocated between them.

"And If Sue wants to talk to Leah and Seth, she is free to call the house or my cell at anytime of the day and the same applies to them. They are free to call her whenever they want." she told Jared.

"Now, I think it's best you run back to Sam." and that's exactly what they did. Turning tail they ran back into the forest and took off towards La Push to report back to Sam.

"Bella-" both Rosalie and Edward started to say, but it was Jacob who grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"DON'T YOU EVER DO SOMETHING SO RECKLESS AGAIN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" he shouted, his eyes furious and frightened, his grip on her shoulders never rough.

He ignored Rosalie and Edwards arms around her and pulled her too him, his arms wrapped around her shoulders and his face in her neck."What's the point of me protecting the both of you if you're just asking to be killed?"

That's when she felt the warm tears on her skin.

"I'm so sorry, Jake, I didn't mean to put you in this position after all you've done. But I had to say my peace. I had to try something, I couldn't just-"

"Please, just...just don't scare me like that again. Nothing would have happened to you, I would have protected you of course, but…."

"Shh, I know, Jake, I'm sorry." she whispered, running her fingers through his hair, her own arm around him, rubbing line up and down his back. "It's ok, I'm alright. No one is ever going to hurt me, because I know you will never let them."

"How much did you hear?" he mumbled into her skin.

"Everything." she whispered into his dark, hair, in hailing the scent of pine that clung to it. "We have a lot to talk about, Jake."

**TBC**

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><p><em>How exactly did Bella hear what Jacob was saying? Is it another thing that has to do with the baby maybe, or did one of the vampires listen in from the house and tell Bella everything that was being said?<br>What did you think of Bella's confrontation with Jared?  
>Please let me know in the reviews.<em>


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